As quoted by BBC News and The Guardian, with reference to Nuffield Council on Bioethics' Assisted Dying Project.

Release time: Embargoed until 00.01 Friday 13th September 2024

Care Not Killing responds to Nuffield Council on Bioethics disappointing project on assisted suicide and euthanasia

Responding to the news that England's first Citizens' Jury on so-called assisted dying will report tomorrow, Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO for Care Not Killing commented:

"Disappointingly, we note that the Director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics was formerly Director of Compassion in Dying, the charitable arm of Dignity in Dying which campaigns for assisted suicide. Additionally, a leading Council member was previously chair of Compassion in Dying, and the project was funded by a group which has also funded another leading pro-assisted suicide campaign organisation.

"That's before we get to the selection criteria. A jury in a court of law must be rigorously impartial with no strong views about the case they are judging. This does not appear to be the case with this exercise, indeed, from the methodology which is being published today, two thirds of the panel (65 per cent) were either in favour or strongly in favour of changing the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia before taking any evidence. So, what could have been a serious contribution to this important debate seemingly fails the impartiality test.

"Perhaps this is why the results also run contrary to recent polling carried out under British Polling Council guidelines which concluded that a clear majority (56 per cent) of the public who expressed a view supporting assisted dying/assisted suicide in principle do not believe that the current laws preventing assisted suicide or euthanasia can be implemented safely."

The polling, carried out earlier this year by Whitestone Insight also found:

• A majority feel that if assisted dying is legalised in the UK, patients should have the legal right to choose to be treated by doctors and other health professionals who have opted out of participating in it.
• Legalising assisted dying/assisted suicide is not a political priority for most people. Legalising assisted dying/assisted suicide ranked 23 out of 24 of issues that need attention, with "regulating AI" and "international trade deals" ranking higher. Only four per cent thought it should be a priority for politicians.
• 60 per cent of those surveyed worried that legalising AD/AS would fundamentally change the relationship between doctor and patient, including more than half (51 per cent) of those who support AD/AD.
• Seven in 10 (70 per cent) said that assistance in dying in countries like Canada and the Netherlands, where young people with no terminal illness are helped to die, has gone too far. This rose to more than eight in 10 (84 per cent) when those who answered 'don't know' were discounted.
• Young people reject assisted dying/assisted suicide more than do any other age group. Fewer than half (44 per cent) of 18-24-year-olds supported legalising assisted dying/assisted suicide.
• A clear majority - 56 per cent - voiced fears that legalising assisted suicide would lead to a culture where suicide becomes more normalised than it is today. This rose to 67 per cent when those who answered "don't know" were omitted.
• Similarly, 43 per cent fear that introducing assisted suicide when the NHS and Social Care budget is under such pressure would inevitably place an incentive on health professionals to encourage some people to end their lives early.

Dr Macdonald concluded:

"At a time when we see how quickly the safeguards in countries like Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands have been eroded so disabled people and those with mental health problems, even eating disorders are now being euthanised, I would strongly urge the Government to focus on fixing our broken palliative care system that sees up to one in four Brits who would benefit from this type of care being unable to access it, rather than discussing again this dangerous and ideological policy. With suicides in the UK being at record levels financial worries and the NHS in crisis, now is not the time to encourage or facilitate more suicides by legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia."

ENDS

Editors Notes

Care Not Killing is a UK-based alliance bringing together human rights and disability rights organisations, health care and palliative care groups, faith-based organisations groups, and thousands of concerned individuals.

We have three key aims:

1. to promote more and better palliative care;
2. to ensure that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed;
3. to inform public opinion further against any weakening of the law.

*As this story is dealing with suicide, please could we ask that you include details about organisations that offer help and support to vulnerable people who might be feeling suicidal such as the Samaritans, CALM or similar - Thank you.*