Date: Wednesday 23rd October 2024
Release time: Immediate
Care Not Killing welcomes today's vote by the Welsh Parliament rejecting assisted suicide
The Welsh Parliament rejects changing assisted dying laws today by 26 votes to 19. Welcoming the result Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of for Care Not Killing, commented:
"This is an encouraging result and proves the more people, including parliamentarians hear about implications of legalising state assisted killing the more they reject changing the law, because they see how it would put pressure on the elderly, terminally ill and disabled people to end their lives prematurely. This is exactly what we have seen in the handful of places who have legalised state assisted killing.
"In Oregon the model most often advanced by pro-death advocates, a majority of those ending their lives consistently cite fear of being a burden on their families, finances or carers as a reason. And those ingesting the death row drugs, far from having a quick and painless death, slowly drown in their own secretions and die of what doctors call a pulmonary oedema - in some cases this can take days.
"There are other problems too. In the Netherlands and Belgium limits on who qualifies for an assisted death have been swept away. No longer is state aided killing limited to those with less than six months to live, but routinely includes disabled people, those with non-terminal conditions, even mental health problems, such as patients with treatable depression and eating disorders.
"In Canada in 2022, around 1,700 of those who's lived were ended by euthanasia cited loneliness as a reason. At the same we have seen cases of disabled military veterans even a Paralympian being offered "an assisted death" rather than the care and support they need to live independent lives. While according to an official report from the Ontario, the poor are more likely to apply for euthanasia, this chilling report followed the story of a man being made homeless who had applied to be killed rather than living on the streets."
Dr Macdonald concluded:
"At a time when we have seen how broken our health care system is, how one in four Brits who would benefit from palliative care, I would suggest this should be the focus of attention, rather than the constant debate about this dangerous and ideological policy."
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:
- 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.
*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.*
Image © Senedd Cymru (Creative Commons)
