Author: a23898_theseus

Today in Parliament, the Health and Social Care Committee received testimony from international experts from Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada to inform its inquiry on assisted dying. Experts said that the introduction of assisted dying legislation had led to vast improvements in end-of-life care provision.

Professor James Downar, Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University of Ottawa, explained that since the introduction of an assisted dying law in 2016, Canada had seen ‘the strongest growth of palliative care in its history.’ Professor Jan Bernheim and Professor Rutger Jan van der Gaag said that legislative change in Belgium and the Netherlands had been intrinsically linked with palliative care and they now boast some of the best palliative care provisions in Europe.

When pressed by the Committee about why Belgium had been one of the earliest adopters of assisted dying, as they changed the law in 2002, Professor Bernheim explained it was primarily out of compassion.

Professor Downar told the Committee that several cases from Canada had been misrepresented recently, something that Humanists UK has highlighted in its report on Canada’s legislation. Downar explained that the vast majority of people who have had an assisted death in Canada either received palliative care before they died (over 80%) or had access to good palliative care (over 98%).

Until now, debates in the UK regarding assisted dying have mainly focused on the terminally ill – people who have six months or fewer left to live. However, this session revealed that a compassionate way forward involves extending the law to also include individuals who are incurably and intolerably suffering – a policy Humanists UK supports.

Professor Bernheim explained that creating legislation will introduce safeguards and scrutiny to end-of-life care that doesn’t exist in the UK right now. He explained that Belgium and the Netherlands have the most scrutinised and studied legislation in the world, and public support remains strong, as does public confidence in the medical system.

Last month, the Committee met with international experts from the US and Australia who similarly gave overwhelming evidence for a change in the law on assisted dying.

The Committee has already published its initial findings from a public survey, and commented on their fact-finding trip to Oregon. The next stage of the inquiry is to hear evidence from Switzerland.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘After two sessions focusing on assisted dying legislation abroad, the evidence is overwhelmingly clear – such legislation is compassionate, safe, and absolutely necessary. This session expelled many of the myths around legislation abroad and showed that the UK is now lagging far behind the 28 international jurisdictions that have compassionate end-of-life laws.

‘People who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering absolutely deserve the right to make choices at the end of their lives. The public overwhelmingly supports the right for such people to have a dignified death on their own terms. Humanists will always defend the right of each individual to live by their own personal values – and that includes the right to make end-of-life decisions.’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell at press@humanists.uk or phone 07456200033.

Read our report on Canada’s assisted dying legislation.

Read our write-up of the previous evidence session.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read the ONS study on suicides among people diagnosed with severe health conditions.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

Today, the Human Rights (Joint Committee) took evidence from four leading barristers and professors on Human rights and assisted dying. Parliamentarians heard from a range of legal professionals that assisted dying laws are currently forcing people to end their lives early. My Death, My Decision is calling for a compassionate assisted dying law for people who are intolerably, incurably suffering.

Data from the ONS released last year showed that people who are diagnosed with severe health conditions are considerably more likely to take their own lives. Several MPs in debates have shared evidence of loved ones taking their own lives. This includes MP Paul Blomfield, who told the story last year in a debate how his father took his own life after receiving a diagnosis for inoperable cancer.

When challenged about whether assisted dying in international jurisdictions can show a slippery slope, experts replied that in every jurisdiction where assisted dying has changed, this has been due to legal, justifiable and democratic changes.

Parliamentarians heard that internationally, where assisted dying laws exist with eligibility criteria and safeguards, they are fundamentally compliant with the Human Rights Convention.

Paul Bowen KC said: “Does having unbearable suffering give you certain rights you should be able to enforce? I think the answer is yes”. My Death, My Decision believes that any law in the UK should ensure that people who are experiencing unbearable suffering from a physical condition should have the right to end their lives.

Experts discussed the case of Debbie Purdy, who took her case to the UK courts and wrote a book titled “It’s Not Because I Want to Die”. Paul Bowen KC argued that for Debbie Purdy it wasn’t about the right to die, it was that she wanted to have the confidence that when the right time came she would be able to die with dignity, and it meant that once she had that confidence she would be able to live confidently.

The Health and Social Care Committee is currently running an inquiry into assisted dying. So far, they have published written evidence submitted to them as well as a summary of its investigations to date, including from the individual survey responded to by over 65,000 people. They have held oral evidence sessions with peers, experts and stakeholders from international jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal.

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

“Our current law is clearly not working. We are punishing compassionate acts, placing unwarranted trauma on already grieving families, and wasting police time. 

The current inquiry into assisted dying must surely evaluate how the law in the UK is broken. No one should be forced to suffer against their will and we deserve the right to make choices about the end of our lives.”

Notes:

Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available 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://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/9a65aa72-d8ba-4dd0-9d81-7abe4614573e 

The post Assisted dying law forces individuals to end their lives early, say top lawyers appeared first on My Death, My Decision.

Today the Health and Social Care Committee met with international experts on assisted dying who gave evidence to the ongoing inquiry. The experts were drawn from Australia, New Zealand, and America where assisted dying is legal in some jurisdictions for those with terminal illnesses. Humanists UK supports the inquiry, as a well informed discussion on a change to the law on assisted dying in England and Wales is long overdue, and called for the inquiry to take further evidence from jurisdictions where assisted dying laws are working also for those who are intolerably suffering as well as for the terminally ill.

The committee questioned experts about how the change in law came about and how safeguards are working in their countries. The Hon Kyam Maher MLC, from the Government of South Australia, explained that the 71 safeguards which have been put in place create a much safer environment than before the law was brought in. Professor Brian Owler, a Consultant Neurosurgeon from Sydney, confirmed that evidence given from the Coroner’s Office helped persuade Ministers that harm was happening without a law for assisted dying as people were taking their end of life into their own hands without medical support or their families allowed to be present.

Experts who oppose a change in the law raised concerns about the number of deaths from euthanasia in Canada due to loneliness. However, this is not a valid qualifier for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada where an applicant must have a serious illness, disease, or disability (excluding a mental illness), as covered in Humanists UK’s recent report Canada’s Assisted Dying laws. Professor Roderick MacLeod from New Zealand, who opposes the country’s law, said that people didn’t understand what assisted dying meant when voting in New Zealand’s referendum. He conceded that there is no appetite to turn back the clock in New Zealand but he would like to see more data collected on the process in place.

Kyam Maher MLC made it clear that in Australia the public were very clear on what the law change meant, and Professor Owler said that assisted dying legislation is about understanding people’s autonomy and respecting their choice about timing and manner of death. Both experts from Australia said that there had been a rigorous process to get the right law in place, and that each state had separately passed laws which are very closely aligned.

The committee has already published its initial findings from a public survey on assisted dying, and commented on their fact finding trip to Oregon. The next stage of the inquiry is to hear evidence from more experts, campaigners and from those personally impacted by the current law.

Humanists UK Campaigns Manager Kathy Riddick said:

‘We welcome the Health and Social Care Committee hearing evidence from a range of experts on assisted dying which underlines the need for compassionate reform now.

‘People who are terminally ill or incurably suffering deserve the right to make choices at the end of their lives. We hope that the committee will hear further evidence from countries which have enabled assisted dying for those who are incurable suffering as well as for the terminally ill such as in Spain and Belgium.’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Campaigns Manager Kathy Riddick at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read the ONS study on suicides among people diagnosed with severe health conditions.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

French President Macron has announced plans to introduce an Assisted Dying Bill this summer. This follows the Citizens’ Assembly on assisted dying today issuing its final report. It has recommended that France legalise assisted dying for both the terminally ill and the incurably, intolerably suffering. Humanists UK has welcomed the developments and called for the UK to catch up.

The report also recommended strong improvements are made in palliative care. Macron has asked for the French Government, MPs, and senators to work cross-party and constructively on the draft Bill.

The Citizens’ Assembly had previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of legalising assisted dying. 121 citizens (72%) out of 167 voted in favour.

Run by the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), the ‘Convention Citoyenne’ was made up of 185 French citizens who are representative of the general population. Over the course of nine sessions, participants listened to speakers, discussed research and voted on a series of questions about end-of-life choices.

In 2021, a citizens’ jury on the island of Jersey overwhelmingly supported the introduction of assisted legislation, with 78% voting in favour. This led to Jersey’s States Assembly approving assisted dying ‘in principle’ and official legislation is expected to be introduced in 2023. Draft legislation has also been tabled in the Isle of Man. And in Scotland, Humanist Society Scotland last week requested a meeting with new First Minister Humza Yousaf to discuss making parliamentary time for Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill.

In December, the UK House of Commons’ Health and Social Care Committee launched an inquiry into assisted dying. Humanists UK submitted evidence to the committee but last week it raised concerns that most members of the Committee had previously expressed opposition to assisted dying.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘As in Jersey, France has shown a democratic way forward for governments to make meaningful progress with important issues of conscience. England and Wales could learn a lot from the French approach; assisted dying legislation in the UK Parliament has been continuously stuck in a loop of Private Members’ Bills without enough time for a meaningful vote.

‘A participant in the Assembly recently told reporters that he had never seen a debate as well-constructed and as devoid of hostility as the Citizens’ Assembly on assisted dying. We heard similar reports from Jersey in 2021.

‘People in the UK deserve the same right to make choices about the end of their lives and there is no good reason to force anyone to live in pain, misery, and indignity after they have made a choice to end their suffering. We hope the current inquiry into assisted dying can learn from the democratic process in France.’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Read more about the announcement (l’Express French language newspaper).

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

Seven of the 11 members of the Health and Social Care Select Committee have previously opposed assisted dying, with only three being known to be supportive. Last month the Committee launched an inquiry on assisted dying. Humanists UK has said it is vital that the Committee takes a careful, balanced look at the evidence, and listens to those who want an assisted death and their loved ones.

Four of the eleven members have voted against assisted dying in the past, including the Committee’s Chair Steve Brine, although it is unknown if this is still all of their positions. Three other members have previously told Humanists UK or their constituents that they are opposed, although again their positions may have changed since. At any rate, this contrasts with 93% of the public being in support, according to a 2019 poll.

At least three of the members of the Committee (27%) have also voted against abortion rights. 86% of the public support women’s right to an abortion, with just 5% opposed.

The Committee is also much more religious than the public at large: only one of the 11 MPs (9%) affirmed upon entry into Parliament (i.e. made a non-religious oath), with the other ten swearing a Christian oath. This compares with 24% of all MPs having affirmed. The 2019 British Social Attitudes Survey recorded that 53% of British adults belong to no religion.

The makeup of the Committee changed extensively towards the end of 2022, in part due to the frequent changes of ministers in Government. MPs that are promoted to ministerial levels cannot take part in committees. This includes the previous Committee Chair, Jeremy Hunt, who first brought the inquiry onto the Committee’s agenda.

In January David Gauke, the former Justice Secretary, expressed concern about the makeup of the Committee. He wrote in an article for the New Statesman ‘The composition of the committee makes it very unlikely that it will recommend reform’.

Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘We welcomed this inquiry when it was announced on the understanding that it would listen to the voices of people who are dying and their families and would examine the evidence, particularly from around the world.

‘The British public cares deeply about this issue so it is vital that the Committee produces a well-researched, unbiased report.’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Committee member Rachael Maskell is an officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Dying Well, which campaigns against assisted dying. Lucy Allan and Paul Blomfield are officers of the APPG for Choice at the End of Life, which campaigns for for an assisted dying law for the terminally ill only.

Those who have voted against assisted dying in the past are Steve Brine, Rachael Maskell, Chris Green, and James Morris. Those who have voted against abortion rights are Rachael Maskell, Dr Caroline Johnson, and Chris Green. Of course, their views may have changed since the votes in question.

Humanists UK’s other information about MPs’ views comes from correspondence and conversations they have had with constituents and pro-assisted dying campaigners. But other than noting the past votes and APPG affiliations, which are a readily available matter of public record, Humanists UK is choosing not to name the past positions of the committee members, as it does not want to assume that their positions are unopen to change.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

Humanists UK has published a report on Canada’s assisted dying legislation, in light of recent coverage in UK media and elsewhere that has expressed concern about how the law is working. We have analysed the various claims in this coverage in order to see if there are real problems and, if so, what could be done about them.

The facts surrounding some of the cases featured in the coverage are often hard to verify due to doctor/patient confidentiality. This has made our analysis difficult to conduct. It’s also always possible that there are situations that have occurred that haven’t at all come to light. But we have found that many cases have been reported in inaccurate or misleading ways, and in some instances, it appears that the problem of confidentiality has sadly been exploited by religious opponents of assisted dying to enable the propagation of misinformation.

Accounting for all this, the result is that we don’t believe that anyone in Canada has had an assisted death who shouldn’t have been able to.

In the report, we consider each of the reported cases in turn, and also whether Canada’s assisted dying law could be improved. We have found that the safeguards and criteria enabled clinicians to successfully assess patients to establish whether or not they should be eligible for an assisted death. (Indeed, it is for this reason that Canada’s assisted dying law remains very popular among Canadians.) But there are also areas where we think that if the UK were to have an assisted dying law, different safeguards should be introduced so as to deliver additional clarity as to its sound operation.

We do not believe the situation in Canada gives reason for the UK not to legalise assisted dying.

We can and should learn from Canada to create laws that are right for the UK but UK legislators should not deny people here the right to make decisions about the end of their lives.

A humane assisted dying system is something that 90% of British adults support. In designing one, the UK benefits from decades of data from assisted dying’s implementation in Europe and around the world as well as a wealth of global legislative and safeguarding frameworks to consider. We can do this and get it right.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘Of course it’s always possible that there are situations that we’re unaware of. But based on the evidence available, we don’t believe that any Canadian has had an assisted death who shouldn’t have been able to.

‘It is a shame that some people have knowingly or unknowingly pounced on misinformation from Canada in order to hinder the campaign here. People who are suffering from incurable illnesses in the UK deserve the right and freedom to make decisions about their own bodies – misinformation shouldn’t be the reason they are denied their rights.

‘Assisted dying has been legal in Switzerland for over 80 years. It’s been legal in the Netherlands, Belgium and the US state of Oregon for over two decades. There is ample evidence there to prove that assisted dying legislation can be safe and compassionate. Spain, Austria, and Australia have more recently legalised assisted dying. These jurisdictions would not have proceeded if they were not certain that legislation was needed and could be introduced safely.’

We have long supported attempts to legalise assisted dying in the UK and crown dependencies for those who have made a clear decision, free from coercion, to end their lives and who are physically unable to do so themselves. We support this for people who are of sound mind and are either terminally ill or incurably suffering, and on the basis that there are robust safeguards. Humanists defend the right of each individual to live by their own personal values, and the freedom to make decisions about their own life so long as this does not result in harm to others. We believe it is possible for an assisted dying law to enhance people’s freedoms in precisely this way.

We gave written and oral evidence to Jersey’s citizens’ jury in 2021 and to the UK Parliament’s last assisted dying inquiry in 2005. We intervened in support of the claimants in the 2012-14 case Nicklinson and all subsequent assisted dying cases in England and Wales, each time being the only organisation to have done so. In 2019 we helped establish the Assisted Dying Coalition, the national coalition working for assisted dying.

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Read the full report.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

My Death, My Decision has officially launched a campaign group on the Isle of Man. The grassroots group Let Me Choose will become My Death, My Decision Isle of Man and will campaign to legalise assisted dying on the island for the terminally ill and incurably, intolerably suffering.

Our chair, Trevor Moore, will speak at a public meeting on the Isle of Man at the Manx Legion Club, Market Hill in Douglas, at 7.30pm on Monday 20th March. The next day he will address members of Tynwald, Isle of Man’s Parliament.

Last year, members of Tynwald voted 22 to 2 to allow an assisted dying Bill to be introduced by Dr Alex Allinson.

The Bill would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults the choice of an assisted death. A public consultation on the Isle of Man closed recently and a draft Bill should be available by the end of the year.

If you live on the Isle of Man and would like to get involved, please contact Vicky Christian at vickychristianmdmd@gmail.com.

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

“It is refreshing to see people and politicians on the Isle of Man engage with the issue of assisted dying so respectfully and wholeheartedly. My Death, My Decision Isle of Man will achieve great things with Vicky Christian at the helm and I look forward to all the campaigning our grassroots organisation will be able to do, thanks to this new group.”

Vicky Christian, Chair of  My Death, My Decision Isle of Man said:

“People on the Isle of Man desperately want to see a change in the law that allows people who are dying in pain, suffering and indignity to have a choice at the end of their lives. There’s no good reason on earth why adults who are suffering from an incurable, intolerable disease should be forced to continue living against their will.

I’m thankful to have the support of My Death, My Decision and the Assisted Dying Coalition. Together, we will bring a compassionate change in the law.”

The post My Death, My Decision Isle of Man launched appeared first on My Death, My Decision.

My Death, My Decision has argued that Wales should have the power to legislate on assisted dying, in their response to the Welsh Government’s Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. Commissioned by the Welsh government, the consultation sought views on how Wales should be governed in the future.

My Death, My Decision believes that Wales should be run in a way which enables the Welsh people to live with dignity and in full autonomous control over their own lives. Currently, an archaic law dictated by Westminster prevents the Senedd from legislating on assisted dying. While assisted dying should be understood as a matter of individual rights and health, the powers of justice and policing are not devolved to Wales and so the Senedd is unable to legislate on it. This sets Wales apart from Scotland, which is moving forward with its assisted dying bill.

My Death, My Decision recently exposed the case of Sue Lawford, a Wales resident who was arrested and investigated for six months for accompanying Sharon Johnston, a tetraplegic woman, to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life. Sue was arrested at 5.30am on the 16th February, interrogated by police, detained for 19 hours, and then subjected to a six-month investigation which has since been dropped. Sue’s arrest was especially inappropriate given that previous police guidelines have stated: “Due to the sensitive nature of such an investigation, the police should seek to interview such a suspect under caution as a voluntary attendee unless their lack of cooperation or demeanour makes arrest necessary”. 

We recently revealed that the Dyfed Powys Police wasted over £7,000, in addition to regular police hours that should have been spent elsewhere, on Sue’s arrest and investigation.

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

“93% of the public in Wales support the legalisation of assisted dying, higher than the 90% support for legalisation enjoyed in England. The people of Wales should have the power to turn their belief in the legalisation of assisted dying into law, just as the people of Scotland are able to do.

The current split between legislating on end-of-life health and social care matters, which is devolved, and assisted dying, which is not, serves only to highlight the impression that these matters are in opposition. Other countries with legalised assisted dying have shown that they are best treated as part of the same spectrum. 

Everyone deserves the right to make choices about the end of their lives, and no one deserves to suffer.”

Read My Death, My Decision’s response to the consultation.

Read our response to ‘making justice work in Wales’ 

The post Senedd deserves power to legalise assisted dying appeared first on My Death, My Decision.

The Citizens’ Assembly on assisted dying in France has voted overwhelmingly in favour of legalising assisted dying. 121 citizens (72%) out of 167 voted in favour, 32 against, and 10 abstentions. There are three more sessions of the citizen’s assembly before they submit their final detailed proposals to the French Government on 19 March 2023.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he hopes to introduce a new legal framework on assisted dying by the end of 2023. He has not yet ruled out a parliamentary vote or even a possible referendum on the Citizen’s Assembly’s proposals.

Run by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), the ‘Convention Citoyenne’ is made up of 185 French citizens who are representative of the general population. Over the course of 9 sessions, the participants listen to speakers, discuss research, debate, and vote on a series of questions about end-of-life choices. (Not all participants vote on every question.)

• 109 voted in support of assisted dying administered by a doctor, 50 against
• 68 voted in favour of legalising assisted dying for people suffering from incurably, intolerable illnesses but without necessarily a terminal diagnosis, 30 voted for terminal only and 53 abstained
• 83% agreed that the current end-of-life legal framework in France is not adequate

The Citizens Assembly also discussed how to improve other aspects of France’s current end-of-life legislation, including palliative care, and patient choice and autonomy.

In 2021, a citizens’ jury on the island of Jersey overwhelmingly supported the introduction of assisted legislation, with 78% voting in favour. This led to Jersey’s States Assembly approving assisted dying ‘in principle’ and official legislation is expected to be introduced in 2023.

In December 2022, the Health and Social Care Committee launched an inquiry into assisted dying. Humanists UK submitted written evidence to the committee and hopes to be called to give oral evidence.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘A member of the French Citizens’ Assembly recently told reporters that he had never seen a debate as well-constructed, as interesting, and as devoid of hostility and antagonism as the Citizens Assembly on assisted dying. It’s refreshing to see politics on contentious issues conducted so positively and this should be a lesson for us all.

‘People deserve the right to make choices about the end of their lives and there is no good reason to force anyone to live in pain, misery, and indignity after they have made a choice to end their suffering. We hope the current inquiry into assisted dying can learn from the democratic process in France.’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.

Humanists UK has renewed calls for compassionate assisted dying legislation for people who are terminally ill or incurably, intolerably suffering. It has done so in submissions to consultations and calls for evidence in the UK Parliament, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

Humanists UK submitted evidence to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into assisted dying, the first such inquiry held by the UK Parliament since 2005. The inquiry is considering the situation across England and Wales. Humanists UK stressed the importance of listening to the accounts of people who have been affected by the current blanket ban on assisted dying. We will publish our response in due course.

Channel Island Humanists responded to the States Assembly in Jersey’s consultation on assisted dying. It welcomed the detailed legislative proposals, which include many sensible safeguards and processes. It however raised concerns with some of the suggestions, such as allowing family members to appeal assisted dying decisions. We believe that individual autonomy is important and family members who disagree with assisted dying, perhaps for religious reasons, shouldn’t be able to be a barrier. It urged against premise owners and operators from being able to conscientiously object. We believe that an individual’s freedom of conscience should be balanced against the rights of others and if this level of conscientious objection were allowed many people, such as those in religious-run care homes, could be denied their rights. Jersey Assembly members voted to approve assisted dying ‘in principle’ in 2021 following a Citizens’ Jury and legislation is due to come into effect by the end of 2025.

Humanists UK responded to the Isle of Man’s consultation on assisted dying, the first step in Dr Alex Allinson MHK’s Assisted Dying Private Members’ Bill. Members of the Tynwald (the island’s Parliament) voted 22 to 2 for the Bill to be introduced. The Bill is currently modelled on Baroness Meacher’s Assisted Dying Bill and would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults the choice of an assisted death. Humanists UK urged parliamentarians to expand the scope to also cover people who are incurably, intolerably suffering. A draft Bill should be published soon and will then be reviewed by a committee of the Tynwald.

These consultations and calls for evidence are the latest in a string of moves by local jurisdictions. In France, a ‘citizen’s convention’ will be launched on 9 December and a law is expected to be introduced with President Macron’s backing in March. In the Republic of Ireland, a special Oireachtas committee is due to launch this month to examine assisted dying. In Scotland, the Assisted Dying Bill will enter the first stage of debate early this year, after 36 MSPs backed the move.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘It is refreshing to see so much progress happening when it comes to engaging with the public and organisations on the issue of assisted dying. People desperately need to see progress and people in positions of power should listen closely to the voices of dying people and their families.

‘Everyone should be able to make informed decisions about the end of their lives and politicians should take a compassionate, common-sense approach to this issue. No one should have to suffer unnecessary pain and indignity at the end of their lives’

Notes:

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 07534 248 596.

Read more about a decade of campaigning for the legal right to die – at home and abroad.

Read more about our campaign to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.