Find out about the dangers of assisted dying

Coroners and Justice Bill amendment could make assisting suicide legal

Today (23. March) some MPs hope parliament will consider an amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill making it legal to assist someone to commit suicide by accompanying them to a “suicide clinic” in a country where the practice is legal. This is a very dangerous and very slippery slope.

To download CARE’s Q & A on the dangers of changing the law in relation assisted suicide click HERE.

Two recent comments made by the Prime Minister show his opposition to assisted dying laws

Prime Ministers Questions 10 Dec 2008, col 532-3

‘Mr. Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD): Tonight the actual moment of death of my former constituent, Craig Ewert, will be shown on Sky Television. Many people recognise that there is a real issue in terms of how we approach assisted dying, but at the moment it is illegal. Health and palliative care groups, as well as disability and other faith groups, oppose assisted dying. Does the Prime Minister regard this programme as being in the public interest, or is it simply distasteful voyeurism?

The Prime Minister: These are very difficult issues, and we should all remember that at the heart of any individual case is a family in very difficult circumstances, who have to make difficult choices that none of us would want to have to make. It is a matter of conscience and there are differing views on both sides of the House about what should be done. It is necessary to ensure that there is never a case in which a sick or elderly person feels under pressure to agree to an assisted death or that it is the expected thing to do. That is why I have always opposed legislation on assisted death.

Specifically on the programme itself, I think that it is very important that these issues are dealt with sensitively and without sensationalism. I hope that broadcasters remember that they have a wider duty to the general public. Of course, this will be a matter for the television watchdogs when the broadcast is shown.’

Interview with Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, broadcast on Today BBC Radio 4, 30 Dec 2008

The Cardinal asked him about the campaign for euthanasia laws. The PM said "Well I'm totally against laws on that. I think this debate about assisted suicide, it's not really for us to create any legislation that would put pressure on people to feel that they had to offer themselves because they were causing trouble to a relative or anything else.

"So I think we have got to make it absolutely clear that the importance of human life is recognised."

Listen to the interview by clicking HERE

To read more about the proposed amendment and some general argument around the issue the following are good places to start.

Some good letters have appeared in the Times today, the first from Lord Carlile of Berriew, QC and Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and the second from the Archbishop of Cardiff to read the letters please click HERE.

Nadine Dorries MP for Mid Bedfordshire posted evidence on here blog that Evan Harris MP was the actual author of the amendment which was tabled by Patricia Hewitt MP relating to assisted suicide. To read what she had to say go HERE and look for the post published on Saturday called: "Whose line is it anyway?"

Tom Harris MP ways in about his possition HERE, while Melanie Phillips, commentator and Blogger for the Spectator makes a somewhat unparalel yet generally interesting analogy HERE between what the law, if amended as proposed might mean in practice.