Assisted suicide
Legislation to establish a right to die for terminally ill patients is supported by a majority of the public, a poll has found.
A YouGov survey for Dignity in Dying found that three quarters of people are in favour of a controversial bill which would see the terminally ill being allowed to die if they choose.
Peers debated the proposals on Friday morning, later voting to delay consideration of the legislation.
Under the proposal a doctor would be able to give a prescription for lethal drugs to legally competent patients who requested them and who were suffering "unbearably" from a terminal illness likely to result in death within six months.
Some 59 per cent of those asked said there was good care for people in the later stages of a terminal illness, but 76 per cent said they were in favour of assisted dying as long as there were safeguards in place.
Top doctors have already voiced their opposition to the Bill.
Stakeholder Response:
A spokesperson for the
"We are committed to the principle of autonomy for disabled people.
"Individual disabled people should be able to make autonomous choices, including potentially choosing the manner and time of their death.
"However the current climate of discrimination against disabled people and continuing negative assumptions about the value of disabled people’s lives combined with lack of access to palliative care and social support means that free choice and real autonomy for many disabled people with terminal illness does not exist.
"Legislating now for physician-assisted dying would pose too great a threat to the lives of many disabled people with terminal illnesses who would come under ever greater pressure to seek an end to their life.
"Until disabled people are treated as equal citizens – their lives accorded the same value as the lives of non-disabled people, their access to necessary services guaranteed, their social and economic opportunities equal to those of non-disabled people – then the 'right to die' may jeopardise people’s right to live.
"We believe that the most pressing legislative priority in this country must be improved palliative care and rights to support for independent living, to ensure disabled people can live independently and enjoy genuine autonomy, dignity and choice wherever they live.
"We are assisting Lord Ashley in preparing his Independent Living (Disabled Persons) Bill which will deliver precisely these things.
Stakeholder Response:
A spokesperson for the Royal College of Physicians said: "In the past, it was decided that the College should not assume a position for or against the revised second bill: the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill (2004). This was described as ‘neutrality’.
"This sparked a debate within the Royal College of Physicians, because there was concern that their neutral position had been misrepresented as one moving towards support for such legislation.
"Many individuals wrote about their unhappiness with the ‘neutral’ position and felt that their opinion had not been sought.
"The Royal College of Physicians thus began online consultation, and by post to those without email addresses.
"Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the motion crafted by the Royal College of General Practitioners:
"'(We) believe that with improvements in palliative care, good clinical care can be provided within existing legislation and that patients can die with dignity. A change in legislation is not needed.
"Some 5,111 responses were received. In answer to the question, 26 per cent stated that they believe a change in the law is needed and 73.2 per cent that a change in the law is not needed.
"Responses against change were highest in the specialty of palliative medicine (95.4 per cent of 281 responses), but specialty representation appeared broadly representative of practising physicians.
"There were no significant differences between any of the categories of respondents, and in all cases, the proportion opposing legal change exceeded 70 per cent.
"The free text responses have not yet been fully analysed. However, a small (under five per cent) proportion of respondents alleged bias in the first question against legal change.
"A validation questionnaire was therefore sent by email.
"The question was proposed by the sponsor of the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, Lord Joffe, who suggested that this would produce a ‘very different’ response.
"The question asked was:
"'Do you believe that a change in legislation is necessary for the small number of terminally ill patients for whom palliative care does not meet their needs?'
"The validation to the main consultation was open for 48 hours.
"Some 2,144 responses were received. With the analysis based on 2,059 authenticated responses, 71.3 per cent against legal change in the validation exercise – close to the 73.2 per cent found in the first question of the main consultation.
"Therefore, the Council of the Royal College of Physicians cannot support legal change at the present time.
"Nevertheless, the College acknowledges:
- that a significant minority of its Fellowship and Collegiate Membership support a change in the law.
- that there remain many shortcomings in the provision of palliative care.
- that the ethical and juridical issues are complex and strongly felt.
- and that physicians of all shades of opinion in the current debate share a commitment to the improvement of care at the end of life.
"This should include an extension of palliative care services and more discussion of end of life issues in the face of changing values, ethnic diversity and technological advance.
"The Royal College of Physicians remains committed to making its contribution as a professional body and by encouraging its Fellows and Members in their diversity of views to play an informed role in continuing debate."
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