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Politicians want to meddle in the final days of our lives; not satisfied with governing how we should live they now want to determine how we should die

Support for assisted suicide in the UK wanes



As parliament processes assisted suicide legislation the British public are increasingly turning against the concept and once again Prime Minister David Cameron finds himself on the wrong side of social opinion. Brits who initially support the idea turn against it as facts come to light from countries that have already legalized it, particularly Belgium, Holland and Switzerland.
A ComRes poll released by the charity CARE “revealed that 21% of adults (one in five) would change from supporting assisted suicide to opposing it when faced with the evidence that there has been a steady annual increase in the number of cases and spread of the practice to involve people with chronic but not fatal diseases, disabled people, children and those with mental illnesses and dementia in countries which have changed the law to allow assisted suicide.” It is these basic truths that are not getting out about euthanasia. That the concept is in fact a slippery slope that leads to more and more ‘eligible candidates’ who ‘need help’. Family members in turn can gain the right to make decisions for vulnerable patients and those family members may have motives that can be clouded by financial considerations. CARE’s Chief Executive, Nola Leach said: “We welcome the opportunity for debate on this issue. Our new polling demonstrates that the public tend to be in favour until they are presented with the stark implications of legalising assisted suicide and the evidence of pressure on vulnerable people within those countries which have done so. We are confident that by discussing these issues the dangers posed by Lord Falconer’s Bill will be even more exposed.Lord Falconer places great emphasis on safeguards but they will never be able to ensure the safety of the vulnerable as is evidenced across the world by the experience of countries which have introduced similar legislation.”

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Baroness Campbell, a Peer who has spinal muscular atrophy told the House of Lords that legalising assisted suicide “frightens” her because she could be tempted to ask for it in the future. According to the Christian Institute Lady Campbell, who uses a wheelchair and relies on a ventilator to help her breathe, said that if the law had already changed and she had asked for help to commit suicide, “many would put their energies into that” rather than improving her situation or helping her to change her mind. She said: (the Bill) “frightens me because, in periods of greatest difficulty, I know that I might be tempted to use it. Helping people to live with dignity and purpose must surely be our priority.” Still the bill finds itself being considered at the committee stage. Prime Minister David Cameron could stop passage of legislation like this simply by asserting governmental majority but he chooses not to. But as has become so typical with him he takes the position, like his friend Barack Obama, that he is an outsider commenting on the matter with no power to affect it. Cameron said: “I myself am not convinced that further steps need to be taken. I worry about legalising euthanasia because people might be pushed into things that they do not actually want for themselves. (But) by all means let us have the debate, (it will be) worthwhile.” Baroness Hollins comments though struck a more meaningful tone. Hollins who is a past president of the British Medical Association, warned that with terminal illness: “there is pressure to get any assessment done quickly. It is a complete negation of the concept of careful medicine”. She told the story of a friend with motor neurone disease, who told her he would gladly have taken a prescribed lethal drug six months before his death if it had been available. “Yet, closer to his death, he confided that his last months had been a precious journey and that he had truly valued the closure this time had brought him, for himself and his relationships with friends and family.” Yet politicians want to meddle in the final days of our lives; not satisfied with governing how we should live they now want to determine how we should die. Fortunately growing opposition to the bill across the spectrum of society may yet see it defeated.


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David C. Jennings -- Bio and Archives

David Jennings is an ex-pat Brit. living in California.

A Christian Minister he advocates for Traditional & Conservative causes.

David is also an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club and writes for the supporters club in America

David Jennings can be found on Twitter
His blog can be read here


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