UK Parliament

Over a third of Church of England priests support assisted dying

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/church-of-england-priests-survey-gay-conversion-therapy-ban-assisted-dying-house-of-lords-net-zero-7kqg3dswr

Support for assisted dying among Church of England priests has grown significantly in the last nine years. Over a third of priests would support assisted dying for someone with an incurable disease.

My Death, My Decision hopes this revelation might help to foster a safe and open debate amongst the Church of England clergy on this vital issue, especially as Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man come increasingly closer to creating compassionate assisted dying legislation.

A recent survey by the Times of 1,185 Church of England priests conducted this month found that 35.5% of priests supported a compassionate assisted dying law, compared to 22% in 2014. While a majority do not want assisted dying legalised, opposition has dropped 15%, from 70% to 55%.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton described assisted dying as “profoundly Christian to do all we can to ensure nobody suffers against their wishes”. He told The Times: “Opinion is beginning to change as more and more clergy encounter those increasingly difficult experiences of terminal illness where even the best medical care leaves patients living their last days and hours in unconscionable agony and indignity.”

My Death, My Decision’s patron Reverend Canon Rosie Harper says: “The dignity and the compassion that every dying person is owed is still not available to us in this country. I long for [the law] to change and I hope that My Death, My Decision will be part of a wave of people, as most of the people in this country want it to change.”

A 2019 assisted dying poll by Populus found that 86% of people deemed regular churchgoers would support assisted dying under some circumstances. 82% of people who identified as Christian would support a change in the law.

Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision said:

“We know the majority of people in the pews support a compassionate, safe assisted dying law and it’s refreshing to see opinions at the pulpit slowly catching up. There is nothing Christian about forcing incurably sick people to have long, painful undignified deaths.

My Death, My Decision welcomes this wave of support shown by The Times survey, and we are glad to see opposition to assisted dying fall considerably too. People deserve to make decisions about their lives and ultimately their deaths. It is time Parliament legislates on this important issue.”

Notes:

Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request

For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.

My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow those who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.

Read more about our work with the Assisted Dying Inquiry: https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/2023/07/13/our-summary-the-assisted-dying-inquiry/ 

 

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DIGNITAS: “It’s about time” the UK changes law on assisted dying

The Swiss assisted dying organisation DIGNITAS has told parliamentarians that the UK should legalise assisted dying. Silvan Luley, a member of the organisation today gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into assisted dying, along with other experts from Switzerland. 

Luley told the inquiry: “If you legalise assisted dying, it will improve conversations with patients, make it transparent, public, clear and make it possible to do research. Doctors will feel safe, people will feel safe.”

When questioned if assisted dying is at odds with palliative care, Luley replied that most Brits that visit DIGNITAS are grateful for the UK’s excellent provision of palliative care, but they say “I want to have my choice”. He added: “That’s the crucial point. It’s about choice.”

Switzerland has allowed assisted dying since 1942, as long as the motives are not selfish. It is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a residence clause, meaning citizens of other countries are allowed to have an assisted death. The number of British people who are members of DIGNITAS has soared by more than 80% in the past decade.

Dr Georg Bosshard, a practising geriatrician in Switzerland, said that Swiss people would find the UK’s blanket ban on assisted dying ‘unthinkable’. He added: “We should have varieties of possibilities for having a good death – we should have a society that meets the needs of different people and the wishes of a wide variety of people.”

Samia Hurst-Majno, Professor of Biomedical Ethics, warned the committee of both under-regulation but also overregulation of assisted dying. She added that “It’s an illusion that banning assisted dying protects vulnerable people.”

My Death, My Decision would welcome an assisted dying law in the UK that grants mentally capable adults the option of an assisted death if they are enduring unbearable suffering from an incurable physical condition.

Claire Macdonald, Director of My Death, My Decision, said:

“We must stop exiling Brits who are dying and suffering from incurable diseases to Switzerland. We must stop exporting compassion and let people have a choice at the end of their lives. 

The evidence the committee heard today was overwhelming. In Switzerland, assisted dying has been working for over 80 years, the system is safe, workable and gives people back their human rights.”

Notes:

Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request

For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.

My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow those who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.

Read more about our work with the Assisted Dying Inquiry: https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/2023/05/15/assisted-dying-inquiry-health-and-social-care-committee-takes-next-steps/ 

Watch the evidence session here: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/18436/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/ 

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Dominoes are falling: Majority of surgeons support assisted dying.

A majority of Surgeons support assisted dying, according to figures from a survey of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 61% of respondents to the survey said they personally support a change in the law. 29% said they were opposed and 10% undecided.

This has led the Royal College of Surgeons to end their opposition to assisted dying. 

52% said the Royal College of Surgeons should be supportive of a change in the law to permit assisted dying. 20% said the College should take a neutral position on the provision of assisted dying for mentally competent, terminally ill adults.

In relation to the role of doctors in any future assisted dying process, 59% felt doctors should be involved in confirming a patient meets the eligibility criteria; 42% thought doctors should prescribe the drugs and 23% thought that doctors should be present while patients self-administer the drugs.

Following the survey, the Council voted to adopt a neutral position on the issue. 

The British Medical Association ended its opposition and moved to a neutral position on assisted dying in 2021. This reflects the position of similar medical bodies including the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Medicine, Nursing and Psychiatrists.

Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision, said:

“Medical professionals are increasingly coming to the conclusion that assisted dying should be legalised in the UK. The Health and Social Care Committee must surely give due weight to this in their conclusions following the current inquiry into assisted dying.

The public support change, doctors across the spectrum support change – now politicians need to step up and give people who are incurably suffering or terminally ill the right to take control over their own bodies and, ultimately, their own deaths.”

Notes:

Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request

Read the survey here: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/government-relations-and-consultation/position-statements-and-reports/assisted-dying/ 

For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.

My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow those who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.

Read more about our work with the Assisted Dying Inquiry: https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/2023/05/15/assisted-dying-inquiry-health-and-social-care-committee-takes-next-steps/ 

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Compassion lead to assisted dying law, say international experts

Today, the Health and Social Care Committee heard testimony from experts from countries where access to assisted dying is permitted based on ‘unbearable suffering’. In the first panel, experts from Belgium and the Netherlands explained that compassion was the primary motive behind their early adoption of such a law.

Experts also explained that having a law introduces additional scrutiny to end-of-life care. Professor Bernheim explained that Belgium and the Netherlands are where end-of-life issues have been studied the most intensely. He highlighted that since the law was introduced there has been “much more control, much more scrutiny, much more awareness, much more compassion”.

So far, debates in the UK on assisted dying have mostly been limited to the terminally ill, but this session showed that a law that extends to people who are incurably, intolerably suffering is the most compassionate way forward. Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne explained that she doesn’t think the six-month prognosis is logical and it could be interpreted as unfair.

My Death, My Decision would welcome an assisted dying law in the UK that grants mentally capable adults the option of an assisted death if they are enduring unbearable suffering from an incurable physical condition.

The experts showed that across the world, where assisted dying has been introduced, palliative care has dramatically improved. Professor James Downar has said that since the introduction of an assisted dying law, Canada has seen the most historic increase in funding for palliative care. Since the introduction of an assisted dying law, Netherlands and Belgium now have the most developed palliative care in Europe and in Belgium, confidence in the medical system is high, even higher than it was before the law was introduced.

Professor Downar explained that in Canada the vast majority of people who received assisted dying, over 80% had received palliative care and 98% had access to palliative care.

Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision, said:

“It is heartening to hear from those on the frontline of assisted dying in other countries that the key driver for the introduction of a law was compassion. That is what drives our campaign for a law in England and Wales, because above all we want to end unnecessary suffering.

Research from the Office of Health Economics shows that even the best palliative care cannot alleviate suffering in thousands of cases each year. We urge the Health and Social Care Committee to help remedy this by recommending a compassionate law for the UK – following the 28 jurisdictions that have already done so.”

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Covid-19 has exposed the need for a review of our assisted dying laws, says MDMD to parliamentary human rights committee

My Death, My Decision has responded to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ review of Covid-19, by calling for an immediate review of the UK’s laws on assisted dying. 

In a submission to a consultation asking for opinions on the human rights impact of the Government’s extended lockdown, MDMD highlighted concerns that people suffering from terminal or incurable illnesses may have postponed their decision to travel to Switzerland if they thought it was prohibited under lockdown measures – and now risked having lost their opportunity for a dignified death in the future. The submission also discussed the incident where MDMD was aware of someone bringing forward their plans to end their life, because they feared restrictions might prevent them from doing so at a later stage. 

My Death, My Decision’s Chair Trevor Moore said: 

‘In many ways the onset of Covid-19 has given us all a glimpse into the lives of someone suffering from a terminal or incurable illness. But whilst our sense of losing control over our lives or fearing the prospect of a drawn-out period of suffering may only have been temporary, theirs sadly is not. Amidst the uncertainty of lockdown earlier this year, we understand that some people who had been ‘greenlit’ for an assisted death in Switzerland chose to postpone their journeys, and did so at the risk of losing their opportunity of going in the future. And sadly, we have now all learnt that they may have made this sacrifice and lost that final bit of control over their lives, without having had to.’

‘If nothing else, Covid-19 has demonstrated the frailty of end-of-life choices available in our country, and as we look to the future it has given a fresh impetus for a review into what needs to change. We encourage the UK Government and Parliament to grasp the issues exposed by our recent lockdowns and follow in the footsteps of our progressive neighbours, such as Canada, by instigating a thorough and widespread examination of our laws on assisted dying and end-of-life care.’ 

Notes:

For any more information or comment please contact My Death, My Decision’s Campaigns and Communications Manager at campaigns@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk.

Read our full consultation response. 

Read more about My Death, My Decision’s campaign for an inclusive change in the law: https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/

My Death, My Decision is a grassroots non-profit organisation that campaigns for a balanced and compassionate approach to assisted dying in England and Wales. As a growing movement, we are at the forefront of social change: nearly 90% of the public now favours a change in the law to allow adults of sound mind, who are either terminally ill or facing incurable suffering, the option of a peaceful, painless, and dignified death.

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A generation of assisted dying campaigners demand an inquiry into the law

Jane Nicklinson, one of the signatories of the letter, alongside her husband Tony, who had locked-in syndrome in the run-up to his death in 2012. Credit: Andi Reiss ‘Endgame’

The families and living claimants from most of the past right-to-die cases have come together for the first time, and called for an inquiry into assisted dying. In a joint letter, the campaigners, involved in more than two decades of legal cases, say that recent evidence now makes the case for an inquiry ‘overwhelming’ and have urged Parliament not to ‘turn a blind eye’ to the suffering caused by the current law. 

The intervention follows just days after a leading Conservative MP, Andrew Mitchell, claimed that assisted dying could now be legalised within four years. 

The full statement, published in The Guardian today, reads: 

We represent the families and living claimants of most of the previous assisted dying legal cases. We have come together, for the first time, because we now believe there is an overwhelming case to set up an inquiry into the law.

It has now been half a decade since Parliament last examined legislation to legalise assisted dying, and fifteen years since it formally scrutinised the evidence. In that time, the number of Britons travelling to Switzerland had rocketed sixfold; successive countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and parts of the United States and Australia have legalised assisted dying, demonstrating that such changes can be achieved in a safe and compassionate way; public opinion has dramatically risen to nearly 90% supporting a change in the law for the terminally ill and incurably suffering; and there has been a significant shift in medical opinion and from within the disability community.

Following our unsuccessful legal cases, it is now obvious that parliamentarians alone have a responsibility to look at this matter again. They must not allow our cases to become the final word on the matter, or else countless others will experience the indignity, suffering, and agony that we can attest that this law creates. 

The evidence on assisted dying has simply changed, and Parliament cannot afford to turn a blind eye any longer.

My Death, My Decision’s Chair Trevor Moore said: 

‘Since the UK Parliament last considered an assisted dying law, an increasing number of jurisdictions worldwide – Canada, several states in the US and Australia, and other European countries – have adopted or are actively considering assisted dying laws. Contrary to what opponents claim, these other countries have shown that an assisted death is a choice that stands alongside palliative care as part of end of life choices, not in opposition to it.

Meanwhile, as several opinion polls have confirmed, the public is now overwhelmingly in favour of an assisted dying law – well over 80% and as high as 90% for some scenarios.

Yet the UK Parliament remains deaf to the pleas of those who wish to avoid suffering painful and traumatic deaths, such as the brave campaigners who have brought  legal cases against the Government to allow an assisted death. 

The time for politicians to stop ducking this much-needed human right is now. We at My Death, My Decision remain committed in our campaign to achieve a law to embrace both the incurably suffering and the terminally ill.’

Notes:

For any more information or comment please contact My Death, My Decision’s Campaigns and Communications Manager at campaigns@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk.

Read more about My Death, My Decision’s campaign for an inclusive change in the law: https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/

My Death, My Decision is a grassroots non-profit organisation that campaigns for a balanced and compassionate approach to assisted dying in England and Wales. As a growing movement, we are at the forefront of social change: nearly 90% of the public now favours a change in the law to allow adults of sound mind, who are either terminally ill or facing incurable suffering, the option of a peaceful, painless, and dignified death.

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Parliament could legalise assisted dying within 4 years, says ex Cabinet Minister

Credit: DFID at https://bit.ly/2FZGXEP

Conservative MP, Andrew Mitchell, in a recent Sky News interview, suggests that the law on Assisted Dying may change within this parliament. ‘I was, as a student and as a young MP, adamantly opposed to Assisted Dying and over the years my view has changed completely’ he said. His comments have been welcomed by right-to-die campaigners, and follows after Daniel Kawcynski MP claimed his view on Assisted Dying had changed.

In his interview Andrew Mitchell goes on to say that the change he wishes to see is limited to those within six months of dying. However doctors point to the impossibility of accurately giving a life expectancy, leading to a broader definition of ‘terminally ill’ in Scotland, with calls for similar changes in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, Canada’s law is evolving to remove any requirement to predict life expectancy and follows a more flexible approach. Because doctors are unable to accurately predict life expectancy, that flexibility overcomes a significant medical concern. The Canadian step-by-step approach shows a cautious, careful development, not the ‘slippery slope’ hyped by opponents.

MDMD’s Lead Campaign Commentator, Phil Cheatle, said:

 ‘It is gratifying to see MPs increasingly changing their minds in favour of assisted dying. However, in his proposal Andrew Mitchell fails to address the weaknesses of the arbitrary six month limit. As Lord Neuburger put it in the Tony Nicklinson legal case, ‘There seems to me to be significantly more justification in assisting people to die if they have the prospect of living for many years a life that they regarded as valueless, miserable and often painful, than if they have only a few months left to live.’ (Tony Nicklinson suffered from locked in syndrome – a non-terminal condition which made his life intolerable for him.)’

‘What is needed is a thorough and open evaluation of the options for assisted dying legislation, learning from countries like Canada, before picking any particular approach. In particular, we need to ensure that anyone who feels they might be vulnerable to inappropriate use of assisted dying legislation has adequate protection. We also need to avoid arbitrary restrictions that would prevent access to the legislation for some of those facing incurable suffering, when that is their own, informed and settled wish. With the rise in incurable degenerative diseases, many people are “dying” for much longer than six months. Appropriate use of the legislation should be determined by incurable suffering, in whatever form that takes, and personal choice, not unreliable estimates of life expectancy.’

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Assisted dying campaigner Phil Newby refused permission by Court of Appeal

Phil Newby has been denied permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge the UK’s prohibitive law on assisted dying. 

Phil, 49, a father of two and member of My Death, My Decision, suffers from the degenerative condition motor neurone disease. His legal case had raised over £48,000 in donations from the public and had asked for the right to undertake a detailed examination of the evidence on assisted dying, and the ability to cross-examine expert witnesses. 

In November, he lost his High Court case, with judges saying court was ‘not an appropriate forum for the discussion of the sanctity of life’. 

The latest development follows shortly after the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland, signaled an interest in initiating a call for evidence on assisted dying – which Mr Newby has pledged to support by providing over nine-box files of evidence in support of a change in the law. 

Reacting to the Court of Appeal’s decision, Phil said:

‘Whilst I am thoroughly disappointed that the Appeal Court has refused my case a hearing, this decision has made it clear that judges will not engage on the issue of assisted dying, which means that it is down to Parliament to act.’

‘There is an abundance of evidence demonstrating the impact that the current law is having on families like mine up and down the country, and of safe practice in the many other countries that developed laws that provide dying people with choice. With the courts refusing to even hear cases like mine, now is the time for MPs to take really account of that evidence and consider how our cruel current law can work better for patients and families. An intelligently crafted assisted dying law is desperately needed.’

Trevor Moore Chair of the campaign group My Death, My Decision said: 

‘We find the decision of the Court truly frustrating’ 

‘Not only is the current law out of step with the modern values of our country, denying those like Phil or Paul Lamb – who has a separate case – the dignity, empathy, and compassion they deserve to die on their own terms,  it clearly no longer represents the view of an overwhelming majority of the public. The expectations all throughout this case was that the court would be willing to engage with reasoned and balanced evidence – but having failed to do so, it is now the responsibility of our Government to initiate a call for evidence – which we urge the Secretary of State now swiftly to do .’ 

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Justice Secretary considers review into assisted dying

Credit: House of Lords| Roger Harris
https://bit.ly/36BZyy4

Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC, has announced that he is considering a review into the law on assisted dying, adding there is a need to ‘take into account compassionate reasons’. 

His comments which first appeared in the Express newspaper, follow after MPs debated assisted dying last week for the first time since Paul Lamb and Phil Newby were rejected permission to challenge the law. 

He said: 

‘Although Crown Prosecution Service guidelines strike a decent balance on the need to follow the evidence, the need to take into account compassionate reasons, I do continue to consider the matter very carefully. My own view is that I wouldn’t support (assisted suicide) but that’s my view as an individual. As Lord Chancellor I have to think about the merits of having a call for evidence, which I will actively consider in the next few months.’

Trevor Moore chair of the campaign group My Death, My Decision said:

‘The balance of evidence in favour of a compassionate, safeguarded, and inclusive right-to-die really has changed since 2015, and it is encouraging that the Government is giving this issue the serious consideration that it deserves. 

Only last week MPs were asked to debate assisted dying, but then weren’t equipped with the necessary and impartial evidence to do so – leading to several misunderstandings and inaccuracies. 

Every week more than one person a week from the UK is now forced to end their life abroad – which simply wasn’t the case in 2015. The trend in medical opinion continues to move in favour of review, as both the Royal College of General Practitioners and British Medical Association have committed to surveying their members – and beyond this, more countries, including Canada, have demonstrated internationally that a balance can be struck between robust safeguards and a dignified death. None of this was the case in 2015, and a review is now long overdue.’

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MPs debate assisted dying call for evidence

MPs from across the political divide have supported calls for an independent inquiry into assisted dying. My Death, My Decision welcomed MPs’ support on this issue. 

In a Westminster Hall debate, Christine Jardine MP, who called for the debate, acknowledged that her own views on assisted dying had changed after the death of her mother and that whilst she may have once been a ‘passive’ supporter she now saw it as incumbent upon herself to take action. In a bid to move beyond the current political impasse among MPs, she called upon the Government to consider formally issuing an investigation into the law on assisted dying as it stands. 

She said: ‘Perhaps the cruellest [fact] of all – it [the current law] can all be avoided if you can afford it. The law as it stands has created a two-tier system. If you have more than ten thousand pounds, you can travel to Switzerland or elsewhere for the end of life care of your choice.’ ‘… I have not used a word normally central to this debate and crucial to the campaigns which are going on outwith Parliament – and that word is compassion. That omission, on my part, is deliberate because for me in our law as it stands there is no compassion.’

Among other MPs who spoke in support of assisted dying, new MP Alicia Kearns spoke in support of Phil Newby, My Death, My Decision’s member, saying: ‘I’ve been struck by Phil’s considered and measured case and it sits with us to make a decision. The crux of the matter to me is to recognise the terror and agony to have your body turn on you and to wrack you with pain or torture you; for those suffering debilitating and terminal diseases are not just being robbed of life but also death.’ 

Later adding: ‘To come to terms with one’s own death, to depart this life in peace and dignity is a privilege I believe we should endeavour as a society to extend, not limit’. 

The latest pressure to review a change in the law follows after Phil Newby and Paul Lamb recently both had permission rejected by the High Court to challenge the UK’s prohibitive law. 

Despite efforts last year to call for an objective assessment of the law, including an open letter organised by My Death, My Decision and signed by a diverse range of thirty-four doctors, politicians, religious leaders, academics, and campaigners, the Justice Minister, Chris Philp, said the government was neutral in the debate and had no intention of introducing legislation. 

Trevor Moore, Chair of the campaign group My Death, My Decision said: 

‘Dying with dignity, in a manner of our own choosing, is a fundamental human right. It has now been almost half a decade since Parliament last examined the issue of assisted dying – and the evidence has changed. Progressive countries, including Canada, have proven a balance can be struck between stringent safeguards and respect for individual autonomy, medical opinion has shifted, new evidence has debunked claims palliative care and assisted dying are incompatible, and the number of Britons forced to end their life abroad has doubled to more than one person a week. 

Public opinion has now reached a record high and nearly 90% of the public support a change in the law. But, regardless of one’s view, we’d all surely agree assisted dying deserves a serious and robust discussion – our MPs need to be equipped with the latest impartial, independent and objective evidence. 

A call for evidence is essential.’

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