A Christian advocacy group has cautioned against proposals to legalise assisted suicide and called as an alternative for society to prioritise suicide prevention and “life-affirming care”.
The warning got here as the outcomes of a “residents jury” on assisted suicide were announced.
The jury, which doesn’t have any legal authority, was arrange by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and comprised 28 people.
It concluded that assisted suicide needs to be legal for individuals with the mental capability to decide on for themselves.
Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO for Care Not Killing, questioned the impartiality of the residents jury.Â
“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 number one Council member was previously chair of Compassion in Dying, and the project was funded by a bunch which has also funded one other leading pro-assisted suicide campaign organisation,” he said.
“That’s before we get to the choice criteria. A jury in a court of law should be rigorously impartial with no strong views in regards to the case they’re judging.
“This doesn’t seem like the case with this exercise, indeed, from the methodology … two thirds of the panel (65 per cent) were either in favour or strongly in favour of adjusting the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia before taking any evidence.
“So, what might have been a serious contribution to this essential debate seemingly fails the impartiality test.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer supports a change to the law. In Scotland, Holyrood is soon to debate Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, and Jersey and the Isle of Man have backed legalising the practice.
Recent polling of just over 2,000 adults by Whitestone Insight found that a majority (60%) support legalising assisted suicide.
However, even amongst those that support it, a majority (56%) don’t imagine that it could possibly be safely implemented, while the identical proportion fear it could result in a culture where suicide is normalised.
Young people were least more likely to support a change to the law, with fewer than half of 18 to 24 12 months olds (44%) saying they agreed with it.
Dr Macdonald concluded: “At a time once we see how quickly the safeguards in countries like Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands have been eroded so disabled people and people with mental health problems, even eating disorders at the moment are being euthanised, I might strongly urge the Government to give attention to fixing our broken palliative care system that sees up to at least one in 4 Brits who would profit from the sort of care being unable to access it, relatively than discussing again this dangerous and ideological policy.
“With suicides within the UK being at record levels, financial worries and the NHS in crisis, now just isn’t the time to encourage or facilitate more suicides by legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia.”
Ross Hendry, CEO of Christian advocacy group CARE, said the findings of the poll challenge campaigners’ claims of widespread support. He said that legalising assisted suicide would send the message that “some lives will not be price living – that some people will not be price protecting”.
“The dangers of legislating for this concept are clear, and have been underlined repeatedly,” he said.
“Assisted suicide puts vulnerable groups at huge risk of abuse. People currently shielded from harm by the state would end their lives because they feel like a burden on others or the NHS, or because they lack proper support. The just and compassionate response to suffering is life-affirming care. This means proper investment in services that meet people’s physical, mental and spiritual needs.
“The UK has huge work to do on this area. We’d also emphasise the necessity to boost suicide prevention, and work towards a society where all lives are considered precious.”
