Care Not Killing "saddened" as Isle of Man sign off deeply flawed assisted dying law

Source: Care Not Killing

Care Not Killing has expressed deep disappointment following the decision by the Tynwald in the Isle of Man to formally sign off on their assisted dying bill - meaning two small islands have changed their laws despite serious safety concerns.

The group believes the legislation breaches the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights - including Article 2 (right to life) and Article 14 (freedom from discrimination).

The campaign group have previously set out their concerns about the law's compliance with the ECHR. They warned that the legislation places vulnerable individuals at severe risk of loss of life in a way that is discriminatory and impermissible under the ECHR.

It highlighted that the law fails to adequately test for coercion, duress or undue influence - particularly in the case of disabled people - by relying on an assessing doctor simply asking the individual if anyone has coerced them.

They further point out that individuals with conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression, and autism face significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation, and that the Law makes no provision to protect them.

Dr Graham McAll of ManxDOC commented: "This legislation will fundamentally alter health and palliative care on the Isle of Man if enacted. It will put the lives of vulnerable people at risk. It fails on a number of fronts protect doctors and nurses, forcing them into an appalling decision to either rapidly refer their patients to be killed or leave the island or profession. It doesn't protect the elderly and disabled people who are at risk of coercion, and will likely see money taken out of palliative care. Astonishingly it will see the importation of death row drugs for use in these assisted suicide, which have been sold to the public as a way to end suffering, but we know from places like Oregon, those who take the assisted suicide drugs can suffer long and agonising deaths from a pulmonary oedema - where their lungs slowly fill up with bodily fluid as they drown in their own secretions. Facts which were confirmed by anti-death penalty campaigner Professor Joel Zivott.

"Importantly, after consulting lawyers we have serious concerns that this law does not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights and is not compatible with obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We will be considering our next steps and how and when this dangerous law can be challenged, but are saddened by this latest development and the signing off of a deeply flawed law."

Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, added: "Legislators continue to ignore that changing the law to allow assisted killing has profound consequences for society. Saying that some lives aren't worth living and puts pressure on the old, vulnerable and disabled to end their lives prematurely as the right to die, becomes a duty to die. This is exactly what we have seen in those jurisdictions that have changed the law. In Canada, for example, that shares a similar legal system to our own, we have seen veterans denied ramps to their houses but offered an assisted death. A man who was been made homeless apply to die, while under the so-called track 2 protocol, the poorest Canadians are twice as likely to be euthanised than the richest.

"There are problems in other places too. In Belgium and the Netherlands we have seen the extension of assisted dying from terminally ill mentally competent adults to non-mentally competent non-terminally ill adults, those with mental health problems and even children and babies. In Oregon we have seen people with eating disorder such as anorexia and even diabetes access assisted suicide. While emerging data suggests that legalising assisted suicide or euthanasia seems to normalise suicide in the general population and lead to an increase in people taking their lives. This was first observed in Oregon which saw a 6.3 per cent increase. That is why we are disappointed with the Isle of Mans decision today, and we continue to argue for more care not killing."

Care Not Killing is a UK-based alliance bringing together over 40 organisations - human rights and disability rights organisations, health care and palliative care groups, faith-based organisations groups - and thousands of concerned individuals.

We have three key aims:

to promote more and better palliative care;
to ensure that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed;
to inform public opinion further against any weakening of the law.

If you would like to talk with someone about issues raised in this article, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day. Call free on 116 123 or visit: www.samaritans.org

Read more about Care Not Killing: https://carenotkilling.org.uk/