Campaigners welcome BMA rejection of Inquiry on Assisted Suicide

Phyllis Bowman

Right to Life has welcomed a motion by the British Medical Association Annual Conference, which totally discredits the DEMOS Commission on Assisted Dying.
 
In a statement, Phyllis Bowman, RTL chief executive officer, said: “It is to be hoped today’s strong stand by the BMA will also bring to an end the appalling BBC campaign aimed at changing the present law and legalising assisted dying and euthanasia to which the British public has been subjected in recent times.

"Latterly, the BBC has become the leading euthanasia lobby group in the UK. In the last three years there have been five major programmes (one a 90-minute play) presenting assisted suicide in a sympathetic light – with not one programme promoting the alternative view such as hospice care. One of the programmes showed Mr Terry Pratchett, a member of the Commission accompanying a Motor Neurone Disease patient to the Dignitas centre in Switzerland where his suicide was filmed. It was all part of the campaign promoting the Commission which has been financed to the tune of £50,000 by none other than Mr Pratchett.

“The Motion before the BMA Annual Conference criticised the strong pro-euthanasia bias of the members of the Commission, questioned its stated impartiality, and called on the BMA Ethics Committee to make the Association’s opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia clear to the Commission. The Commission which is chaired by Lord Falconer became so discredited very shortly after it was set up that the BMA - like other professional bodies - refused to give evidence or to appear before it, lest it gave it credibility.

“In the last three years there have been three attempts to legalise assisted dying in the House of Lords. All three have been defeated by a considerable majority. Repeatedly the euthanasia lobby has been challenged to introduce a Bill in the House of Commons but they have failed to do so.

“Margo Macdonald MSP decided to introduce a Bill in the Scottish Parliament and was given huge backing by the BBC which included a full Panorama programme. However, when her Bill was debated in November last year it was thrown out by a huge majority of 85 votes to 16. Thankfully rather than being worn down by the euthanasia lobby, the campaign has resulted in Peers and MSPs doing their homework on countries which have legalised abortion. We are confident that the same will happen in the House of Commons.”

Source: RTL