Pro-lifers warn of government U-turn on euthanasia

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has expressed concern that the government is working with the pro-euthanasia lobby to promote 'living wills', which could endanger the lives of vulnerable patients. Responding to new draft guidance issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department on mentally-incapacitated patients entitled: Making Decisions: Helping People who have Difficulty Deciding for Themselves; SPUC general secretary Paul Tully said: "The government has thanked the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES) for its assistance in the consultation process, and recommends the VES as a 'source of help on consent for treatment', such as living wills. "This involvement with the VES raises the concern that the government is doing a U-turn on euthanasia and will soon bring in legislation designed to permit the killing of elderly people and the disabled." Mr. Tully added: "If the government is really against euthanasia as it claims, it should explain why it is sending people for advice to an organisation that wants to legalise killing." The Lord Chancellor's Department Central Office of Information, said in a statement last Wednesday that the leaflets are meant to "set ... the scene for new legislation" and give "guidance which will evolve over time, to reflect future changes in law and policy affecting people who lack capacity."