At the recent Dublin international conference on Assisted Dying, it was notable that Professor Jocelyn Downie from Canada interrupted her presentation in order to refute some of the “slippery slope” myths that have sprung up around her country’s adoption of Medical Assistance in Dying. Access to MAID is limited to people of 18 years and… Continue reading Canada – refuting the myths
The BBC is reporting that the Sarco suicide pod has now been used for the first time. Unsurprisingly, arrests have been made. Although its use has been planned well in advance, the actual occasion seems to have come as a bit of a shock. At a press conference earlier this month, Fiona Stewart of The… Continue reading Sarco used in Switzerland
“I also intend to advocate in Parliament for increased investment into palliative and end of life care ….”. If that sentence sounds familiar, it is because it is usually included in letters from Labour MPs who want to sound friendly but also want to remain non-committal in respect of the forthcoming Bills on Assisted Dying. … Continue reading Palliative Care – MPs’ letters
It will have seemed ironic to many members of Dignity in Dying that the booklet encouraging them to support Lord Falconer’s Bill should have landed on their doormats on the same day as another Bill had emanated from the Private Members’ ballot in the House of Commons. The latter has a much greater chance of… Continue reading Dignity in Dying – facing a choice
The results are now in for the ballot for Private Members’ Bills in the House of Commons. They are not quite as encouraging as might have been hoped. One MP, Jake Richards (Labour, Rother Valley), was first off the starting blocks with his announcement that he would indeed be introducing a Bill to legalise Assisted… Continue reading The ballot for Private Members’ Bills
The Sarco will not be operated in Switzerland either by Pegasos or by EXIT. Instead, it will be managed by an operator called “The Last Resort”. This new collective, run by lawyers Florian Willet and Fiona Stewart, is an offshoot of EXIT International. It has not yet been used for the first time. A new… Continue reading Sarco – update
Sean Davison was arrested in early July and remains on “Police Bail”. That means he has not yet been charged with any offence but must “surrender” to his police station, probably for further questioning, on the 15th October. His potential charge would be that of Assisting or Encouraging a Suicide under the terms of the… Continue reading Sean Davison – latest news
In 2019 Kevin Hollinrake MP was proposing to introduce a Private Member’s Bill specifically to de-criminalise friends and relatives who helped or accompanied a person travelling to Switzerland for the purposes of an Assisted Voluntary Death. His criteria were based upon those of Dignitas. This modest and harmless little Bill was stopped in its tracks… Continue reading A return of the Hollinrake Bill ?
The “ballot” (it could more accurately be called a “raffle”) for Private Members’ Bills in the House of Commons will take place on Thursday 5th September. The top twenty will be announced the same day. The twenty MPs will then present their proposed Bills on Tuesday 15th October. At that stage, only the Title will… Continue reading Dates for Private Members’ Bills
People are getting very excited about the assisted dying bill introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Falconer in July. Carrying the official title “Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill” this is similar to his previous attempt, in 2014, to reform Britain’s law. His consistency is impressive. The excitement is misplaced. The Bill… Continue reading The Falconer Bill
