Say NO to the Falconer Bill on Assisted Dying

Former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, is introducing (yet again) an Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill in the House of Lords. This is his fifth attempt to introduce legislation giving those who are terminally ill the right to choose the time and manner of their death.

Those who are at the end of life need compassionate care and respect. But as we have seen in all jurisdictions where such legislation has been passed, rates very quickly soar, irrespective of the patient’s wants or needs. In the Netherlands, for example, where physician assisted suicide and euthanasia was legalised in 2001, the number of reported euthanasia cases jumped from 1,882 in 2002 to 9,068 in 2023, representing 5.4% of total deaths – or one in twenty – with 20% of those cases listed as having been for ‘psychological reasons’. The Netherlands now also permits euthanasia for children aged one to twelve, who have been ‘diagnosed’ as suffering unbearably and with no hope of improvement, i.e. there is no requirement for terminal illness or imminent expectation of death – all that is needed is assessment by a third party of ‘unbearable suffering’.

The relaxation of rules and supposed safeguards has been seen in all jurisdictions where assisted dying and euthanasia have been legalised. Canada, for example, has one of the highest rates for euthanasia in the world, with 4.1% of all deaths now medically assisted (MAID). And there has been a recent scandal concerning army veterans being offered funding for MAID by insurance companies as an alternative to expensive treatments the companies don’t want to fund.

Whatever safeguards are supposedly put in place, all the evidence shows that they are impossible to maintain. If Lord Falconer’s Bill is passed, it will expose the vulnerable of all ages to potential harm and make admission to hospital something to be feared. The rights of those who want to live until ‘natural’ death must also be maintained.

We say NO to assisted dying. We urge the Government to reject this Bill, which will normalise prescribed death as an accepted part of treatment for all.

--------

Sources:

• Lords private members' bills ballot 2024 [UK Parliament]: https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2024/july/lords-private-members-bills-ballot-2024/


• Netherlands: Euthanasia Accounts for More Than 5% of Deaths in 2023 [FSSPX]: https://fsspx.news/en/news/netherlands-euthanasia-accounts-more-5-deaths-2023-44041


• Number of reported euthanasia cases in the Netherlands from 2000 to 2022 [Statista]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1363041/netherlands-euthanasia/


• Netherlands to broaden euthanasia rules to cover children of all ages [Guardian]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/14/netherlands-to-broaden-euthanasia-rules-to-cover-children-of-all-ages


• Canadian Paralympian: I asked for a disability ramp - and was offered euthanasia [Mail]: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11497589/Paraplegic-Canadian-veteran-says-government-caseworker-offered-euthanasia.html