Spare a thought (and perhaps a degree of sympathy) for Sarah Sackman MP. Her political career in 2024 was little short of meteoric. 2025 will be a greater challenge. After a career as a London Barrister, she entered Parliament last year as the MP for Finchley and Golders Green. She had gained the seat from… Continue reading Sarah Sackman MP
The Government will no longer be implementing the “Dilnot proposals” in October this year. They can’t afford it. Under plans made by the previous Government, from October no one should have been asked to spend more than £86,000 during their lifetime on social care costs. After that point their bills would have been paid by… Continue reading UK Elderly Care postponed – again
If you had been asked a couple of months ago which UK organisation could most be relied upon to support an Assisted Dying Bill, you would probably have said “Liberty”. You would have had good reason to do so. Formerly known as the National Council for Civil Liberties, it has a long history of defending… Continue reading Why is Liberty opposed ?
Assisted Dying has never been legal in West Virginia. Worried that the current campaign to change that law might succeed, the supporters of the status quo decided to enshrine its illegality in the State’s Constitution. They succeeded, but only just. In May 2023 all West Virginia voters were asked to pass “Amendment One” to outlaw… Continue reading Belt and braces in West Virginia
During earlier Parliamentary debates upon Assisted Dying several Peers and MPs expressed their fears that the “safeguards” contained in Bills such as Lord Falconer’s were not strong enough. “Two doctors”, they felt, was not enough. Peers, in particular, were keen that the doctor’s opinions should also be signed off by a High Court Judge. So,… Continue reading New doubts over Judges’ role
News that Sean Davison’s case has now been delayed until June will have been regarded as a mixed blessing by campaigners supporting Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying Bill next Friday. On the one hand, they will be relieved that the case will not be drawing media attention whilst the Bill is, hopefully, making its way through… Continue reading Court delays
Two weeks before the General Election in 1987 David Young, the man appointed to run the Conservatives’ re-election campaign, walked into Margaret Thatcher’s office with a fistful of new polls. They made gloomy reading. The election was going to be close – and might even be lost. The three big helpers of the 1983 campaign… Continue reading Campaign wobbles
Campaigners for a change in the UK law started off with enthusiasm when Kim Leadbeater MP announced that she had selected Assisted Dying as the chosen subject for her forthcoming Private Member’s Bill. Armed with opinion polls showing that more than 75% of the voting public supported such a change, the campaigners thought their task… Continue reading What planet are they on ?
The Times in London and De Volkskrant in Holland are both reporting that the Swiss prosecutor has extended the scope of his enquiry to include the possibility of murder. This report is unconfirmed. The Last Resort and Exit International have both described claims that the first real-life use of the Sarco faced operational problems as… Continue reading London Times reports Sarco investigation
In 2023 Dignitas carried out 250 Assisted Voluntary Deaths (AVDs), of which 40 (16%) were for people who had travelled from the UK. The previous year Dignitas had done 206 AVDs, of which 33 had been from the UK. Pegasos do not release their figures but this website estimates that they take about 280 patients… Continue reading How many will still go to Switzerland ?
