Overwhelming public support for a change in the law to allow medically assisted suicide is revealed in a poll for The Times.
Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of people want doctors to be allowed to help terminally ill patients to end their lives. Support is particularly strong among those aged 55 to 64.
Six out of ten people also want friends and relatives to be able to help their dying loved ones to commit suicide without fear of prosecution.
Changing the law has always been opposed strongly by doctors, with two out of three against legalisation. But yesterday saw the first sign of change in the medical establishment. Link to read this article Source: The Times
Terminally ill patients with less than six months to live will soon be able to ask their doctors to prescribe them lethal medication in Washington state.
But even though the “Death with Dignity” law takes effect Thursday, people who might seek the life-ending prescriptions could find they have to find the doctor who will provide the now-legal service. Doctors are conflicted on this matter and not required to participate. Some hospitals are opting out as well. Link to continue reading
The final moments of Craig Ewert, 59, a retired university professor, suffering motor neurone disease who chose assisted suicide at a controversial Swiss euthanasia clinic are to be screened on British television for the first time. Do you think that Sky television is right to broadcast the assisted suicide? Let us know by taking our our poll below Source: Telegraph
Worth checking out.The BBC News website is launching the “Scrubbing Up” weekly column, where leading clinicians and experts give their perspectives on issues in health.
This week David Jeffery a palliative care expert discusses why suicide ‘shouldn’t involve medics’.
‘Physician assisted suicide has been legal for a decade in the US state of Oregon.
But palliative care specialist David Jeffrey says there are grave questions about whether people are being helped to die, when treatment for depression could be a highly successful alternative.
In this week’s Scrubbing Up column Dr Jeffrey, who is based at the University of Edinburgh, says a patient should be free to end their life – but doctors should not be involved. ‘  Â
