Today, doctors voted to change the Royal College of Physicians policy on assisted dying to neutral and not oppose any change in the law. In responding to whether the Royal College’s position on assisted dying should change, 43.4% voted to continue opposing a change in the law, 31.6% voted in favour of assisted dying reform, [...]
A new medical organisation in favour of assisted dying has been formed in the UK and will work to change the law on assisted dying to allow people in the UK who want the option of a safe and dignified assisted death. Announced in a column in the British Medical Journal today, “MDMD Medical Group” [...]
Recently, it was reported that Sarah Ninian, the wife of Alexander Ninian who ended his life at the Swiss clinic Dignitas in 2017, was entitled to inherit her husband’s £1.8 million inheritance. Mr Ninian, who had been deemed mentally competent, had been suffering since 2013 from progressive supra-nuclear palsy, an incurable disease which can lead [...]
My Death, My Decision’s Campaign Policy Director, Phil Cheatle, breaks down the new research commissioned by MDMD. MDMD has released the results of research it sponsored through the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). The work tested public acceptability of various forms of assisted dying. In all cases considered the person is [...]
Last week, Jersey’s Council of Ministers announced that a new commission will research end of life options, including the legalisation of assisted dying and dying well The announcement follows after more than 1,800 people signed a petition from End of Life Choices Jersey (MDMD’s partner in the newly formed Assisted Dying Coalition). Tanya Tupper, [...]
Today, in an oral question relating to the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging or Assisting Suicide, several members of the House of Lords, asked Lord Keen about the law prohibiting on assisted dying. Below is a transcript of the questions. Assisted dying is legal in Belgium, Canada, [...]
My Death, My Decision's Campaign Policy Director, Phil Cheatle, responds to the Daily Mail's Dominic Lawson. Today, the Daily Mail published an article by Dominic Lawson, criticising the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) decision to poll their members on assisted dying. His article misses some important points. One example, is Mr Lawson’s insistence [...]
My Death, My Decision's Campaigns and Communication Manager, Keiron McCabe, responds to the latest Guardian long-read "Death on demand: has euthanasia gone too far?" Christopher Bellaigue raises an important question for those of us who advocate for assisted dying reform. In a society which permits euthanasia, what are the acceptable limits to autonomy? [...]
MDMD’s Campaigns and Communication Manager, Keiron McCabe, breaks down the new Clinically-Assisted Hydration and Nutrition Guidance from the British Medical Association Recently, writing in the Daily Mail, Dr Max Pemberton criticised the new British Medical Association’s (BMA) “Clinically-assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH) Guidance”, for allowing “one Facebook post [to] be enough to bring about your [...]
On Tuesday 11th December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on End of Life Choices, met to hear from Dr Sandy Buchman and Professor Sir John Temple, on the role of doctors within a public discourse on assisted dying. Dr Sandy Buchman, the President-elect of Canada’s Medical Association, who was joined by his Vice-President Dr Jeff [...]