Why polls showing strong support for 'assisted dying' are not what they seem
On Friday, MPs will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, giving individuals in certain circumstances the right to die at the time of their choosing. The legislation will only apply in England and Wales, with a separate process underway in the Scottish Parliament, where we currently have committee scrutiny of Liam McArthur’s member’s Bill which has a similar intention.
At the time of writing, it is impossible to say whether or not the Bill is likely to proceed. There have been significant interventions on both sides of the debate, and MPs will have to consider the very strong arguments both in favour and against what would be a revolutionary act of social change.
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Hide AdThose in favour of the Bill will point to recent opinion polls which appear to show significant public support for a change in the law in this area. However, more detailed scrutiny of the findings gives a somewhat different picture.
Sowing deliberate confusion?
It is significant that previous attempts to change the law have used the language of “assisted suicide”. Perhaps realising the negative connotations, that language has now been softened to “assisted dying”. This change creates a, perhaps deliberate, confusion amongst the public as to what exactly is being proposed here.
Polling published last week by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on public opinions towards assisted dying found that 70 per cent agreed that the law in England should be changed to permit this. Of those, 31 per cent strongly agreed, while 38 per cent agreed “somewhat”.
But when the participants were asked what they understood the term “assisted dying” to mean, 39 per cent thought it included withdrawing life support for someone who could not survive without it, whilst 28 per cent thought it meant being able to refuse life-prolonging treatment.
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Hide AdNineteen per cent thought assisted dying meant providing patients who are dying with drugs that relieve pain and suffering, whilst 13 per cent believed it meant providing hospice and palliative care. These are all currently legal, suggesting the headline figures showing support for assisted dying are not based on a full understanding of the legal position.
Bizarre arguments
We have seen some truly bizarre arguments being put forward by proponents of the Bill, perhaps concerned that the mood amongst MPs seems to be drifting away from them. The Bill’s proposer, Kim Leadbeater MP, went on social media to endorse a comment from the former Conservative MP Nick Boles, stating “if liberal democracy means anything it is this: that every individual should be free to live their life in the way they want”.
Really? By the same token, we should presumably end the legal ban on polygamy, the requirement on us to wear seat belts in vehicles, and all restrictions on the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. It is extraordinary to see a Labour MP, of all people, seemingly promoting the argument that there is no such thing as society, but there you are.
Another advocate for the Bill, the Labour peer Charlie Falconer, said in response to comments from the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, that she should not be entitled to impose her religious beliefs (as a Muslim) on others. But that belief in the essential sanctity of life, at the heart of many religious faiths, is as genuinely held as the belief that we are simply collections of molecules with no higher standing than any other parts of nature around us – a view held by many atheists and those professing no faith. The reality is we all come to this debate with a philosophical background, whether religious or non-religious.
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Hide AdGordon Brown’s moving intervention
Perhaps the most significant contribution to the debate has come from the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has written movingly about the death, after only 11 days, of his daughter Jennifer. In an article last week, he argued how this experience has strongly influenced his view that energies would be better focussed on improving all-round hospice care to reach everyone in need of end-of-life support, rather than reforming the law to allow a tiny fraction of the population to choose assisted dying.
He also wrote of his concern that there will be pressure, often subtle, on frail and vulnerable people who may feel their lives have become burdensome to others, to end them prematurely.
It is a persuasive argument. We have a crisis in the provision of palliative care in our country right now. Over the past few days, I have been deluged with correspondence from constituents raising concerns at the fact that hospice finances are the worst they have been for 20 years, with essential services under threat. Scottish hospices have publicly warned that without urgent funding, their only option will be to make the heart-breaking decision to cut services and turn people away.
A grim choice
In England there have been devastating cuts to hospice services and hospice staff redundancies in recent months, leading the UK Government to pledge a funding rescue package for hospices there before Christmas. The Scottish Government should be doing the same, otherwise those in desperate need of hospice and palliative care will lose that opportunity.
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Hide AdIt is a dreadful backdrop against which to be having this debate around assisted dying. We already have a concerning situation with an aging population and rising care costs, putting an increased burden on the public finances. At some point, if the connection has not already been made, a line will be drawn between the failure to meet public demand for vital services in this area and the introduction of assisted dying.
Like Gordon Brown, I want to see proper investment in palliative care to ensure that those in an end-of-life situation are not simply left with the option of either suffering or assisted suicide. That is where the focus needs to be, and why I hope that this Bill will be defeated when it comes to a vote on Friday.
Murdo Fraser is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife
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