Assisted dying will be debated in the House of Commons today, after a petition calling for its legalization reached the required 100,000 signatures.
Under the Suicide Act, 1961, helping someone take their own life is a criminal offense, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The most recent attempt to change the law failed in the House of Commons in April because the government did not allocate enough time for them to go through the various stages of legislation.
Henry Marsh, one of the UK’s leading brain surgeons, who has terminal cancer, has called for an urgent inquiry into the matter.
He told Sky News: “Some people, myself included, fear the loss of self-control and dignity that often accompanies death. I must have operated on hundreds of men with metastatic prostate cancer. spread to the spine, and this causes progressive paralysis.
“So a large number of men with prostate cancer are paralyzed, twice uncontrollable, bedridden. I’d like to have some choice in the matter of how, if that happens to the patient. I can say enough.
“I want to get through it with the wraps of my family in my own home.”
There is evidence of a marked mismatch between public opinion and the opinions of MPs on the matter.
A YouGov poll last year found that while 73% of people thought assisted dying should be legalized for terminal illness, only 35% of MPs agreed.
Others argue that the answer lies not in changing the law, but in improving palliative care.
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What is supported upon death?
Dr Mark Pickering from campaign group Care Not Killing said: “Many of the heartbreaking stories we hear that have fueled the assisted suicide debate are about people who are sadly not receiving palliative care. appropriate mildness and not having access to the best support at the time of their death or the death of a loved one. We really need to fix that.”
In Scotland, Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has introduced a bill that would allow terminally ill people to end their lives.
Several countries have legalized assisted suicide: the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain, Canada and New Zealand, as well as some US states such as California and New Jersey.
Anyone feeling emotional distress or wanting to commit suicide can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the United States, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
