LIFE say Falconer report on euthanasia is 'dangerous for the vulnerable'

The national pro-life charity is disappointed but not surprised at the findings of the Falconer Commission which recommends the legislation of assisted dying in the UK. What other finding could emerge from a group where the overwhelming majority of its members have stated publicly their support for legalised euthanasia in this country?

Life Spokesman Niall Gooch says “The legalisation of assisted suicide - allowing doctors or others to intentionally end lives - would be a disastrous retrograde step for some of the most vulnerable people in society; the elderly, the very sick and dying, and those with severe disabilities. It is striking that charities and other organisations which work closely with such groups are almost all opposed to this dangerous move.

In particular the commission's stated safeguards against abuse of their proposed law is unworkable and have been shown to fail where applied to other laws. The assessment of the mental competence of people to decide whether they want assisted suicide is extremely problematic and could place at risk the lives of vulnerable people. Additionally, the commission's proposed two doctor rule as a safeguard is in no way reassuring when one considers that it facilitates 200,000 abortions every year the vast majority on mental health grounds.
The Commission has ignored worrying evidence from abroad about the damaging consequences of legal assisted suicide. The Dutch experience has been one of widespread abuse perpetrated by doctors with virtual impunity. Concerning the US state of Oregon, the law is so lax that evidence of non-compliance is extremely unlikely to come to light.

 
The euthanasia slippery slope - the process by which the logic of legalisation allows more and more people to be allowed access to assisted suicide - is real. And the considerable changes in medical culture that would result from the introduction of intentional killing as a treatment option would be dramatic, damaging and probably irreversible.”

“It is often argued that public opinion supports assisted suicide. This is a questionable claim, usually based on polls that are either completely inadequate for finding out the true state of public opinion, or designed to elicit certain answers. In any case, even if it were true, the law exists to protect minorities as well as to reflect the will of majorities. And minorities such as the elderly and people with disabilities would be endangered by legal assisted suicide.”