MP's in Parliament have vetoed the latest attempt by
campaigners to make it legal for doctors to end somebody's life with their
permission if they are terminally ill or grossly infirm without any hope of
recovery. The vote was decisively against the bill. I know many people at the British Constitution Group and UK Column who have been warning that legalizing
euthanasia could be abused by those who want to depopulate the world and rid it
of its "useless eaters". Elderly and disabled people might have
subtle moral pressure put on them not to be a "burden" which might
influence their decision. These sceptics have a valid point, but I don't think
it's as black and white as that. The news article below contains video
interviews showing both sides of the argument. One is with a man who is dying
of a rare form of motor neurone disease; he vehemently opposes the bill for the
reasons I state above. Another is of the wife and children of a man who chose
to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland
and commit legal suicide there because he had come down with spinal cancer. He
was a keep-fit enthusiast and couldn't bear the thought of spending the last
few months of his life in a wheelchair, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34208624.
As I explain in the background articles below, Euthanasia, a Greek word that literally means "a good
death", is killing somebody for the purposes of relieving their pain
and/or misery. It's an everyday practice in veterinary medicine for dealing
with badly ill animals; but it is an extremely controversial topic when it
comes to humans. The medical profession is divided on it, as are politicians
and ethical philosophers of medicine. This is why it's legal in some countries
and not in others. There has been a long campaign by various pressure groups
and individuals to bring in the right to die in the United
Kingdom , including the British Humanist
Association, the actor Dirk Bogarde and the author Terry Pratchett. They've
been opposed by the church and other religious groups, but also some geriatric
and palliative care organizations. Despite the church being against euthanasia,
the former Archbishop of Canterbury ...
and son of a hospital porter, Sir George Carey, has publicly backed the bill,
see background links below. I'm in favour of the right to die under certain
circumstances. The tide is definitely turning I feel. I know that mercy
killings go on anyway; I have served alongside doctors who have dispatched hospital
patients secretly, with the individual's and/or relatives' permission of course, when they know
they will be able to get away with it. If these doctors were caught, they might
face a charge of murder. It could actually take a test case like that to make
any further progress in the law. Another concern for people opposed to the
right to die is that prognoses can change; in certain circumstances this could
be a medical breakthrough, as in the Darek Fidyka case, see background links
below. I share those concerns, but still think it doesn't justify forcing
somebody against their will to carry on living in what they experience as humiliation
and agony because somebody might find
a cure for their illness at some point in the future. This was the first time
Parliament has voted on the right to die for almost twenty years. The wheels of
legislation turn slowly and the pro-euthanasia protesters will have to go home
disappointed, and stay that way for some time; but another opportunity will
arrive, one day soon.
See here for
background: http://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/carey-backs-right-to-die.html.
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