Date: Friday 19th July 2024

Release time: Immediate

Care Not Killing responds to the Lord Falconer's plan to introduce an assisted dying bill

Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing described the plan to legalise assisted suicide or euthanasia as a "missed opportunity" to fix palliative care.

He commented: "Yet again, Lord Falconer and few fanatical supporters of assisted suicide and euthanasia will push a bill that sends a dog whistle message to the terminally ill, vulnerable, elderly and disabled people, that their lives are worth less than others. This is why we see in places like Oregon the model previously advanced by supporters of changing the law, a majority cite fear of being a burden on the families, carers of finances as a reason why they are ending their lives.

"But it's not just in Oregon that we see a problem. In Canada, which has a euthanasia system, 1,400 of those whose lives were ended in 2022 cited loneliness as a reason, while we have seen cases of military veterans, a Paralympian and multiple disabled people being offered 'an assisted death rather than the support and care they need to live with dignity and this is before the plans extend their law to allow those with mental health problems to be killed."

"All this is before we get to the worrying data from the US and Europe that shows legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide, far from reducing the number of suicides seems to be associated with an increase in the numbers taking their own lives in the general population, perhaps because it normalises the idea and practice of suicide."

Dr Macdonald concluded: "This is a missed opportunity of gigantic proportions to try and fix the UK's broken palliative care system, which has been under funded for decades and fails around one in four Brits. Indeed, the recent Health and Social Care Committee recommend Parliament look at how to close the gaps in palliative care, not how to help people end their lives - this should be the priority not a dangerous an ideological policy that will fundamentally alter health care and lead to many premature deaths."

ENDS

Editors Notes

Care Not Killing is a UK-based alliance bringing together over 40 organisations - 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:

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• to ensure that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed;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

For more information please contact Alistair Thompson of Team Britannia PR on: 07970 162225 or by email: alistair@teambritanniapr.com

*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.*