On Thursday 8 September Liam McArthur MSP lodges his assisted suicide bill at the Scottish parliament amid fierce criticism of the proposals.
The Better Way campaign, a group of academics, disability experts, and expert medics, opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Professor Kevin Yuill, a spokesman for the campaign and author of ‘Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalisation’, commented:
“With news this week that suicide is a leading cause of death among children and young people in Scotland, and suicide prevention efforts stepped up with a national strategy, it is imperative that MSPs reject this assisted suicide proposal from Liam McArthur.
“Changing the law would send a message to wider society that suicide is acceptable medical treatment rather than a tragic event that should be prevented. In other countries, legislation has not stopped at terminal illness but gone on to endorse and facilitate doctor-assisted suicides on the grounds of disability, depression, and even poverty.
“This debate raises a fundamental question: how do we help people who are suffering? It is my strong view that the right path – the path that guarantees safety and humanity – is one where we value the lives of all people, no matter their circumstances, talk them down from the proverbial precipice, and provide them with compassion and support to live.”
Professor Yuill has criticised the language used by assisted suicide campaigners who have shaped the Holyrood proposals, saying it misleads the public. He added:
“Liam McArthur’s consultation and draft legislation use misleading, rhetorical language to distract from what is being proposed.
“The term ‘assisted dying’ should more accurately be termed ‘assisted suicide’. People consider ‘assisted dying’ to mean a range of things, from palliative care to the withdrawal of treatment. This conflation confuses the public.
“Those who oppose capital punishment should also resist patients being given a lethal cocktail of drugs to ingest bringing about death in a matter of hours, potentially with very distressing complications before death occurs.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
To request an interview contact admin@betterwaycampaign.co.uk
The Better Way campaign is supported by:
Dr Miro Griffiths, Leverhulme Research Fellow in Disability Studies at the University of Leeds, and policy adviser to regional, national, and supranational bodies;
Phil Friend, Chair of Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), Vice Chair of the Activity Alliance, a Churchill Fellow and a former chair of Disability Rights UK and RADAR;
Prof Kevin Yuill, a lecturer in History at the University of Sunderland and author of Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalisation;
Dr Ashley Frawley, senior lecturer in sociology and social policy at Swansea University in Wales;
David Albert Jones MA (Cantab), MA, MSt, DPhil (Oxon), Professor of Bioethics at St Mary’s University, a Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre;
Joel Zivot MD, FRCP(C) MA, practicing anesthesiologist, intensive care doctor and expert witness.
If you’re feeling like you want to die, it’s important to tell someone.
Help and support is available right now if you need it. You do not have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
Phone a helpline
These free helplines are there to help when you’re feeling down or desperate.
Unless it says otherwise, they’re open 24 hours a day, every day.
You can also call these helplines for advice if you’re worried about someone else.
Samaritans – for everyone
Call 116 123
Email jo@samaritans.org
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
Visit the webchat page
Papyrus – for people under 35
Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight every day
Text 07860 039967
Email pat@papyrus-uk.org
Childline – for children and young people under 19
Call 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill
SOS Silence of Suicide – for everyone
Call 0300 1020 505 – 4pm to midnight every day
Email support@sossilenceofsuicide.org
The Better Way campaign, a groups of academics, disability experts, and expert medics, opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Professor Kevin Yuill, a spokesman for the campaign and author of ‘Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalisation’, commented:
“With news this week that suicide is a leading cause of death among children and young people in Scotland, and suicide prevention efforts stepped up with a national strategy, it is imperative that MSPs reject Liam McArthur’s Bill.
“Changing the law would send a message to wider society that suicide is acceptable medical treatment rather than a tragic event that should be prevented. In other countries, legislation has not stopped at terminal illness but gone on to endorse and facilitate doctor-assisted suicides on the grounds of disability, depression, and even poverty.
This debate raises a fundamental question: how do we help people who are suffering? It is my strong view that the right path – the path that guarantees safety and humanity – is one where we value the lives of all people, no matter their circumstances, talk them down from the proverbial precipice, and provide them with compassion and support to live.”
Professor Yuill has criticised the language used by assisted suicide campaigners, which misleads the public. He added:
“Liam McArthur’s consultation and draft legislation uses misleading, rhetorical language to distract from what is being proposed. The term ‘assisted dying’ should more accurately be termed ‘assisted suicide’. People consider ‘assisted dying’ to mean a range of things, from palliative care to the withdrawal of treatment. This conflation confuses the public.
“Those who oppose capital punishment should also resist patients being given a lethal cocktail of drugs to ingest bringing about death in a matter of hours, potentially with very distressing complications before death occurs.”
ENDS
The Better Way campaign is supported by:
Dr Miro Griffiths, Leverhulme Research Fellow in Disability Studies at the University of Leeds, and policy adviser to regional, national, and supranational bodies;
Phil Friend, Chair of Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), Vice Chair of the Activity Alliance, a Churchill Fellow and a former chair of Disability Rights UK and RADAR;
Dr Kevin Yuill, a lecturer in History at the University of Sunderland and author of Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalisation;
Dr Ashley Frawley, senior lecturer in sociology and social policy at Swansea University in Wales;
David Albert Jones MA (Cantab), MA, MSt, DPhil (Oxon), Professor of Bioethics at St Mary’s University, a Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre;
Joel Zivot MD, FRCP(C) MA, practicing anesthesiologist, intensive care doctor and expert witness.
If you’re feeling like you want to die, it’s important to tell someone.
Help and support is available right now if you need it. You do not have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
Phone a helpline
These free helplines are there to help when you’re feeling down or desperate.
Unless it says otherwise, they’re open 24 hours a day, every day.
You can also call these helplines for advice if you’re worried about someone else.
Samaritans – for everyone
Call 116 123
Email jo@samaritans.org
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
Visit the webchat page
Papyrus – for people under 35
Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight every day
Text 07860 039967
Email pat@papyrus-uk.org
Childline – for children and young people under 19
Call 0800 1111 – the number will not show up on your phone bill
SOS Silence of Suicide – for everyone
Call 0300 1020 505 – 4pm to midnight every day
Email support@sossilenceofsuicide.org