New assisted suicide law 'will be highly dangerous'

Published on Thursday 5 February 2009 21:59

THE UK's leading charity against euthanasia has demanded MSPs block "highly dangerous" moves to legalise assisted suicide.

The letter to all 129 MSPs from Care Not Killing (CNK) is aimed at derailing Independent MSP Margo MacDonald's assisted deaths bill.

The organisation warned it will create a new industry of "euthanasia on demand".

Ms MacDonald launched her bill in December to remove the threat of criminal proceedings against friends and family who provided help to people with serious medical conditions in ending their own lives.

It followed her own dramatic revelation in March in a Holyrood debate that she wanted help to end her life when the condition from which she suffers, Parkinson's disease, became intolerable. And she launched the consultation for her bill shortly after the assisted death in Switzerland of Dan James, a promising young English rugby player who was almost completely paralysed in an accident while playing a game.

But CNK – a coalition of some of the UK's leading care charities, health organisations and faith groups – has warned that Ms MacDonald's proposals are seriously flawed and will be "open to abuse".

They have claimed that she has failed to outline sufficient safeguards against people using an assisted suicide law for getting rid of unwanted relatives.

And they have said that more needs to be done to support palliative care instead of opening up the debate on assisted deaths. CNK particularly objects to Ms MacDonald's suggestion that the new legislation would not just be for people with terminal illnesses, but those who find life unbearable because of their condition.

In his letter to MSPs, Peter Saunders, director of CNK, said: "We have serious reservations about the proposals. Not only because they breach important principles of legal protection and medical ethics, but also because little thought seems to have been given to their rationale or to the very real dangers that they would pose to vulnerable people."

Ms MacDonald said that the response was one of about 250 she has received so far, with significant numbers on either side of the debate.

It is still uncertain whether she will be able to bring her bill forward because of a lack of support among MSPs.

So far, only Liberal Democrat Jeremy Purvis has supported her call for new laws to be introduced, although others, including health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, have said that Parliament should have a proper chance to debate the issue.

Ms MacDonald said she was "disappointed" with CNK's response, but "not surprised".

She said: "This was never meant to be confrontational. I wanted people to think about this issue carefully. In my view, palliative care and assisted deaths are not mutually exclusive as this organisation seems to be suggesting."

She added: "Obviously they are trying to kill this bill off, but cutting off this debate is not what most people would want."

FACTS

IT IS illegal in Scotland and in England and Wales for anybody to assist in the death of another person.

Any family member or friend who takes somebody abroad so their life can be ended in a clinic or aids a suicide in any way is, under Scottish law, in theory guilty of culpable homicide.

However, no criminal cases have been brought to test the law.

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald's proposed bill aims to end the threat of criminal charges for those who assist in the deaths of people who find life intolerable because of a medical condition.

It would also allow for physician-aided deaths to be a legal procedure in Scotland under carefully worked-out guidelines.

As this area is devolved Scotland can have its own law on the issue.