Assisted Dying Coalition

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.

In 2019, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) planned to conduct a ‘call for evidence’ on assisted dying, but the plans were abandoned. But now, four years later, Humanists UK is publishing the consultation paper for the first time. It obtained it through the Freedom of Information Act, and after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ordered the MoJ to deliver the paper after deciding that Humanists UK’s request was incorrectly refused.

Humanists UK recently welcomed the launch of the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry on assisted dying. It hopes the inquiry will listen to the voices of dying people, and take into account the enormous weight of international evidence that supports assisted dying. A citizens’ jury has recently concluded in Jersey, and another is just starting in France. A consultation on a Bill in Scotland has concluded.

In 2019, the former Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, instructed the Ministry of Justice to draft the paper to better inform parliamentary debate. The paper called for evidence about the positive and negative impacts of the current law in England and Wales, and asked for evidence from other countries and evidence about the potential impact of a change in the law.

Although the paper was completed, it was never released. No agreement was secured within Theresa May’s Government for the consultation to happen. And within a few months, there was a new Prime Minister, a new Government, and a new Justice Secretary.

Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘We welcome the current parliamentary inquiry into assisted dying however this paper shows that foundations were laid for this work in 2019 and it is a shame it has taken so long for Parliament to properly examine it.’

‘90% of the public wants a compassionate assisted dying law. The people of England and Wales deserve the right to choice, dignity, and autonomy at the end of their lives.’

Humanists UK supports assisted dying for those of sound mind who are terminally ill or incurably suffering, and have a clear and settled wish to die.

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.

Humanists UK first requested the consultation paper from the MoJ in early 2020, after the change in Prime Minister/Government. It did so thinking that exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act related to ongoing policy development would by that stage have fallen away. The MoJ disagreed, so Humanists UK took the matter to the ICO. The ICO decided in Humanists UK’s favour last year, leading to the paper being published today.

Read the MoJ’s call for evidence.

Read the ICO’s decision.

Read more about progress on assisted dying over the last ten years.

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.

Debbie Purdy led an enviable life before multiple sclerosis changed it forever. As a music journalist Debbie not only had access to music gigs for free, but the venues wouldn’t allow her to pay for drinks. It was on one such occasion in Singapore that she met her husband-to-be, the renowned Cuban jazz musician Omar Puente, who went on to support Debbie tirelessly as she faced the challenging symptoms of her illness with considerable grit.

On the anniversary of her death, we remember Debbie’s powerful legacy in forcing the government, through her legal case in 2009, to issue guidance on the prosecution criteria for those who assist someone to die. She wanted to be sure Omar would not be prosecuted if he accompanied her to an assisted death in Switzerland.

The then Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, issued the Crown Prosecution Service guidance to apply in deciding whether a prosecution is in the public interest, even if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute. There are sixteen factors tending in favour of prosecution and six against. You can see the details here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/suicide-policy-prosecutors-respect-cases-encouraging-or-assisting-suicide

It is worth remembering the title of Debby’s heart-warming memoir, It’s not because I want to die. In choosing that phrase, she echoed what we know to be true: that those with incurable conditions or who are terminally ill simply want the ability to choose when and where their lives end, if they consider that their suffering has become intolerable. But for their suffering, they would want to live on. Our own late patron Paul Lamb, paralysed in a car accident, expressed a similar view in his campaigning.

Experience since the CPS issued its policy on prosecution, following Debby’s legal case, shows that it is not being applied in a consistent manner. Only this year, My Death, My Decision member Sue Lawford was arrested on her return to the UK, after she accompanied Sharon Johnston, a tetraplegic, to Dignitas.

The post On the anniversary of her death, we salute the legacy of the committed assisted dying campaigner Debbie Purdy appeared first on My Death, My Decision.

The Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry into assisted dying in England and Wales. My Death, My Decision has strongly welcomed the news and hopes to work constructively with the Committee.

My Death, My Decision is campaigning for an assisted dying law that will allow adults of sound mind who are either incurably, intolerably suffering, or terminally ill, the right to have an assisted death. We hope the inquiry will examine jurisdictions like Spain, Austria and Canada that have laws that are not restricted to only people who are terminally ill. 

Assisted dying has not been properly examined by parliament since the House of Lords’ committees in 2004. In the 18 years since Parliament last investigated the matter, public and professional opinion have changed considerably. A poll by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) found that around 90 per cent of the British public favours a change in the current law. The British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), opposed a change in the law during the 2004 parliamentary inquiry but both have since re-evaluated their stance and changed their position to neutrality – as has The Royal College of Physicians. 

In the last two decades global opinion has shifted in favour of the option of assisted death. In 2004, only 38 million people around the world lived in jurisdictions where assisted dying was legal, whereas currently it has increased ninefold to more than 360 million people worldwide.

My Death, My Decision Chair Trevor Moore said:

‘I am so glad that parliament is at last examining assisted dying – something for which we have been campaigning for years. We know that many of the people we support, people who are incurably suffering and people who have witnessed a loved-one’s painful death, will welcome this news. We look forward to working with the committee and I hope they look at all the international evidence that shows that safe, compassionate assisted dying laws are possible.

‘Parliament will be following in the footsteps of Jersey, the Isle of Man, Scotland, Ireland and now France in finally tackling this issue. People who are incurably suffering deserve the right and freedom to make decisions about the end of their lives.’

Notes:

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 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.

The post Assisted Dying inquiry launched appeared first on My Death, My Decision.

Yesterday, the Republic of Ireland announced that it will examine the issue of assisted dying. A special committee of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), made up of nine deputies and five senators, will be tasked to carry out an in-depth study. Humanists UK welcomes this news and hopes that Westminster follows suit.

The committee will explore eligibility criteria, safeguards, and processes and will be capable of recommending legislative change.

In 2020, the Dying with Dignity Bill was submitted to the Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas. The Bill would allow people with terminal illnesses the option of an assisted death. It received widespread public support and passed its second stage by 81 to 71 votes. However, in 2021, during the next stage, the Justice Committee chose not to proceed, instead suggesting a special committee look at the issue in depth. That is what is now happening.

The committee will aim to complete its report within nine months of its first public meeting, the date of which has yet to be announced. The UK Health and Social Care Committee is expected to launch an inquiry into assisted dying in England and Wales in early 2023.

Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell said:

‘We are very pleased that the Republic of Ireland is moving forward in examining assisted dying. Jersey, the Isle of Man, Scotland, France, and now Ireland are all looking into this issue right now and Westminster looks poised to set up an inquiry in the new year. People who are suffering at the end of their lives desperately want to see progress.

‘People who are terminally ill or incurably suffering deserve the right to make choices at the end of their lives. Assisted dying has always been an issue of freedom and autonomy. But politicians need to examine the evidence, from at home and abroad, in order to make an informed decision on this vital issue.’

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.

My Death, My Decision can now disclose that one of our members was earlier this year arrested at 5.30 am, put in a cell and held for 19 hours, and then subjected to a six-month police investigation, for escorting a woman to receive a medically assisted death in Switzerland.

The person she assisted was 60-year-old Sharon Johnston from Cardigan, who became tetraplegic following a fall at her previous home in Aberystwyth. Sharon spoke publicly about her wish to have an assisted death in 2021 BBC documentary When Would You Want to Die?

Sue Lawford, Co-chair of My Death My Decision Wales, originally from London and now living in Cardiff, says that the saga shows the urgent need to reform the UK’s assisted dying laws. Sue will be talking to MPs and Lords about her experience today at My Death, My Decision’s event in parliament.

Sue accompanied Sharon on 14 February to Heathrow Airport, en route to Dignitas in Switzerland. On the way to the airport Sharon was contacted by Dyfed Powys Police and Social Services several times; she reassured both that she was okay.

Sue accompanied Sharon to Dignitas to provide support. When Swiss Police arrived at Dignitas, Sue and Sharon reassured them and they were satisfied there was no illegal activity.  They left without taking any action. Sharon then had a calm, peaceful death early on the morning of 15 February. Her last words were: ‘This is a lovely feeling.’

The same day, Sue returned home to Cardiff. On 16 February at 5.30 am she was woken by the Police. Sue was arrested for assisting a suicide and was placed in the back of a police van and driven to Cardiff Bay Police Station. Meanwhile, police officers searched her house for over four hours. They seized her phone, electronic devices, passport, and documents relating to her work. They also took away electronic devices belonging to her husband, who had no connection whatsoever with the case.

Sue was kept in a police cell for 16 hours, before being interrogated by Dyfed Powys Police, with a duty solicitor in attendance. After over 19 hours in custody, she was released ‘pending investigation’. That investigation was dropped after six and a half months, due to ‘evidential difficulties’. Sue says being under arrest for such a long time was detrimental to her mental health.

Her possessions, and those of her husband, were only returned at the end of the investigation. 

According to data from YouGov, 79% of people in the UK believe that people who provide practical help to someone to obtain a medically assisted death abroad should not face prosecution.⁽¹⁾

My Death, My Decision supports the right to die for individuals who are of sound mind, have a clear and settled wish to end their life, and who are terminally ill or incurably suffering. Sharon was not terminally ill as a result of her tetraplegia. Swiss law allows both groups the right to die.

Sue Lawford said:

‘The entire situation caused immense stress and heartache for Sharon on an already difficult journey. It has caused me immense stress and anxiety since our return. The BBC had filmed an entire documentary on Sharon, whose decision was as clear as day. 

‘A change in the law in the UK is long overdue. And it shouldn’t be limited to the terminally ill. Sharon’s situation was intolerable, yet could have continued for many years, and there are countless others like her without the means to end their lives on their own terms.’

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

‘Sharon’s and Sue’s stories show why our current laws are completely broken. The lack of compassion they show in forcing an incurably suffering person to travel abroad for an assisted death, in the most difficult of circumstances, is shameful. For that to be followed by a heavy-handed criminal investigation of someone who acts out of the best of motives in providing help is appalling. That is why we urgently need a compassionate assisted dying law for England and Wales.’

Notes

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

Sue Lawford is available for interview upon request.

(1) All figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,731 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 17th – 18th March 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Read more about My Death, My Decision’s campaign.

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.

The post Retired NHS manager arrested, subjected to six-month investigation over assisted death appeared first on My Death, My Decision.