Isle of Man passes State Assisted Killing Bill

Source: Care Not Killing

Campaigners have expressed grave concern at the news that the Isle of Man parliament, the Tynwald has voted to pass the State Assisted Killing Bill.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, described the approval of the draft bill by the Members of the Legislative Council on the Isle of Man as "very sad day for islanders". He commented: "It is extremely disappointing that given the chilling stories coming out of Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and US States such as Oregon, that politicians on the Isle of Man have continued with this dangerous bill.

"In the small number of places that have legalised state assisted killing, we see the lives of vulnerable people put at risk, with safeguards and restrictions removed, while palliative care doesn't improve as some have wrongly claimed.

"In Canada thousands of those who have been killed cite loneliness as a reason. In Oregon a law designed for terminally ill adults, now views insulin dependent diabetes and eating disorders such as anorexia as terminal conditions. In Australia, promises made by politicians to dramatically boost palliative care funding have failed to materialise leading to a crisis in the sector. While in Belgium and the Netherlands we are seeing an alarming growth in the number of people with mental problems being euthanised and at the same time we are seeing more children having their lives ended via lethal injection."

Dr Macdonald concluded: "Here in the UK, we have seen how a draft bill sold to Parliament as the 'safest in the world' has already been watered down with the removal of judicial oversight, extra protections for those with Downs Syndrome and eating disorders rejected, while the bill's author recently admitted that meagre safeguards left in the bill could be swept away in just a few years' time. And later today, MPs on the Committee will be asked to vote on rewriting the founding charter of the NHS, which has been in every major health act since 1946, because so-called assisted dying is incompatible with the principles it enshrines, to facilitate a National Death Service. This is why we believe politicians on Isle of Man have made a terrible mistake and why it's a very sad day for islanders."

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.

LINKS

For more information see Care Not Killing: www.carenotkilling.org.uk/

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