Assisted suicide
Campaigners for assisted suicide are stepping up their efforts. There are legislative proposals at both Westminster and Holyrood to enable terminally ill adults to get help to kill themselves.
England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has stated that ‘feeling low’ should not stop people being approved for assisted suicide under Kim Leadbeater’s controversial proposals.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty made the remarks as he gave evidence to the committee of MPs tasked with scrutinising the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Bill would make it legal for over-18s resident in England and Wales who are deemed to be terminally ill and with less than six months to live to be given assistance to end their own life.
Seek help
Prof Whitty was one of 15 witnesses giving evidence to the committee yesterday. He acts as the UK Government’s principal medical advisor.
Responding to a question about a patient’s capacity to take a decision to kill themselves, the CMO said: “What I wouldn’t want is to be in a situation where the existence of the fact that someone who has a terminal diagnosis has some degree of low mood in itself just rules them out from any kind of medical intervention – this or any other”.
In contrast, the NHS website offers plenty of advice to help people experiencing low mood or depression. These include ways to “deal with worries, anxiety and unhelpful thoughts” and talking to “trusted friends, family and colleagues”.
If you’re having thoughts that life’s not worth living, or you’re self-harming or thinking about doing so, it’s important to tell someone. You do not have to struggle alone – urgent help and support is available right now if you need it. nhs.uk
However, Prof Whitty did caution against implementing the legislation “at speed” and acknowledged the difficulties doctors have in accurately giving a six-month prognosis for a patient.
Palliative care
The committee also heard from the head of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), who said patients might choose assisted suicide if they are unable to access suitable palliative care.
what we would hate to see that’s been happening in other countries where assisted dying is already in place, is that people feel they don’t have an option other than to apply for assisted dying
Prof Nicola Ranger, Chief Executive of the RCN – which represents over half a million nursing staff and students – told MPs that despite some excellent examples, access to quality palliative care was not “as good as it needs to be”.
Glyn Berry, Co-Chair at the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers, told MPs: “What we would hate to see that’s been happening in other countries where assisted dying is already in place, is that people feel they don’t have an option other than to apply for assisted dying.”
The concerns about palliative care provision were later echoed by Dr Sarah Cox, President of the Association of Palliative Medicine, who highlighted how evidence shows palliative care provision lags behind in countries where assisted suicide has been introduced.