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The government needs to change laws on assisted deaths to stop people from being “forced to choose between suicide, suffering, or Switzerland,” MPs said.
First session of health committee Assisted Death/Assisted Suicide Investigation I’ve heard from colleagues involved in work on this subject, including those who have attempted to introduce a bill to the House of Lords and those who have opposed it.
He was asked why he supported the law change. dying dignitytold MPs:
“Today, some people are faced with a choice between suicide, suffering, and Switzerland. Future generations will be appalled that we have taken so long to get this right. prize.
“For years polls have shown that the majority of Britons want euthanasia legislation, 86% of disabled people want it, and terminally ill and mentally able people are very clear. has shown that
“There is support there for both non-disabled and disabled people.
Assisted death refers to the involvement of medical professionals in the delivery of lethal drugs intended to end the life of a patient, subject to eligibility criteria and protective measures, at the patient’s voluntary request. .
This includes medical professional “physician-assisted suicide”, where the patient prescribes a lethal drug that the patient self-administers, and medical professional “euthanasia”, where the lethal drug is administered.
In England and Wales, it is a crime under the Suicide Act 1961 to assist or facilitate another person’s suicide. Euthanasia is illegal across the UK under the Murder Act 1957 and can be prosecuted for murder or manslaughter.
In November 2021, Jersey became the first British parliament to approve assisted death, following a vote in the Channel Islands parliament.
The Board of Health also asked how good palliative care people in England and Wales have access to, how it could be improved, and how this could improve some measures to change the laws that encourage dying. We are also looking at whether the arguments are denied.
The commission will also look into countries that have already changed their laws to allow euthanasia. Chair Steve Bryn said the committee had received “tens of thousands” of responses to its inquiry into the matter.
Former Prime Minister Lord Falconer, who tried to legalize euthanasia through a euthanasia bill in 2013, told parliamentarians that he was “personally involved in someone’s death”, and was criticized for the end of her life. All that was left was “except the heightened focus…it was absolutely clear that death was absolutely inevitable and helping her die was definitely the best way to go, It was not possible. So there followed a long period of great suffering for her and those who loved her.”
Lord Falconer said his experience with the woman, a former employee of the health service, inspired him to get involved in a campaign to change the law on assisted death. He also said that while women were receiving “high quality” end-of-life care, palliative care “should be better for everyone.”
He added that “improvements in palliative care are desperately needed,” but that doesn’t solve the needs of some people who want to end their lives sooner.
Lord Falconer said a safety net was needed and that the proposal for euthanasia was “a safer alternative to stopping one’s own treatment or deciding not to be treated by a hospital, thus leading to an early death.” It will be the safest way,” he said.
He described the current situation as “very turbulent” and said that while people are allowed to help go abroad, usually to Switzerland, it is possible that when the deceased’s loved ones return to the UK, “It’s a hellish experience,” he told lawmakers. “The law itself allows for it, and I think it’s time for a change.”
Baroness Hollins, a professor of psychiatry for learning disabilities at St George’s Hospital in London, said her research on ‘education of death’ found fear of talking about death ‘always’.
She told MPs: It is driven by fear.this is one of the big reasons [for my involvement in the assisted dying campaign]For me, I would love to see more acceptable conversations about death. It’s a normal process, and the more we talk about it, the more likely it is that people will get the help they need when they die, that they can die with peace of mind knowing they have family and friends around them, and the anxiety they feel about it. do not feel About assisted suicide. ”
Baroness Finley said she has been teaching the subject around schools through a charity she founded. a book beyond words.
“It’s been great to start talking to bereaved children. A parent dies about every 20 minutes. Every class has at least one child who has lost a parent. I don’t feel comfortable talking about it, and we’ve been trying to put in place ways to do that,” she told lawmakers.