The facts about assisted dying

The ban on assisted dying is unsafe

In the absence of safeguarded choice, some dying people take matters into their own hands and end their own lives. Others attempt to end their own lives but worsen their condition. A desire to protect loved ones from prosecution often leads to dying people ending their lives alone.

There is inconsistency in how these deaths are investigated and recorded. When investigations do occur, they are traumatic for family members and first responders.

These deaths still occur when people are receiving specialist palliative care

The ban on assisted dying is unfair

Thanks to Britain’s world-leading palliative care, most dying people’s symptoms will be well-managed at the end of their lives. Yet a majority of people know someone who has suffered as they died. This is because even the best palliative care has its limits. A small but significant minority of people will experience unrelieved pain and other symptoms at the end of their lives. More palliative care would not stop this from happening.

Existing end-of-life practices are ethically complex and there is relatively little formal guidance, regulation or oversight to ensure decisions are led by dying people

The ban on assisted dying is unregulated

The only safe option for British people who want assistance to die is to travel to Switzerland. Hundreds of Britons have ended their lives at Dignitas, a not-for-profit organisation in Switzerland. However there are several obstacles that place this out of reach for the majority:

• Cost: The average cost to travel for an assisted death is around £15,000. This is unaffordable for most people.
• Threat of prosecution: Friends and family who help their loved one arrange an assisted death face prosecution and a prison sentence.
• Loss of control: Travelling to Switzerland requires a certain level of health, so there’s pressure to make the journey before becoming too ill to do so, which can mean sacrificing quality time. The process Swiss authorities have to go through following an assisted death can also interrupt the grieving process for friends and family.

It doesn’t have to be this way

Almost 300 million people around the world now have access to some form of safeguarded assisted dying. There is no evidence that these laws are being abused. And there is extensive evidence to show that they address the failings created by a blanket ban on assisted dying. We believe the right law for the British Isles is one that allows assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults. We do not support a wider law.

We have supported a number of assisted dying bills attempting to change the law. These bills set out strict legal safeguards to allow the prescribing of life-ending medication to terminally ill, mentally competent adults.

This is the blueprint for most assisted dying laws in place around the world and has been adopted in Australia, New Zealand, and 10 states and one federal district in the US.

Find out more about assisted dying around the world.

Assisted dying in Australia

Before assisted dying was made legal in Australia it was estimated that 10-15% of recorded suicides were by terminally ill people, similar to current estimates in Britain. In response to a question about whether palliative care or other support services could prevent such suicides, coroner John Olle said “the people we are talking about in this small cohort have made an absolute clear decision. They are determined. The only assistance that could be offered is to meet their wishes, not to prolong their life”.

People who have an assisted death in Australia tend to be over 65, have cancer, be highly educated and were receiving palliative care. In all jurisdictions that have changed the law, potentially vulnerable groups are underrepresented in the figures for those who access assisted dying.

“I have used assisted dying (legislation) to introduce patients to palliative care and improve their symptom control, and I have had several cases where traumatic suicides have been averted because of the availability of this process.”

– Dr Cam McLaren

Data from Australian states shows over 80% of people who access assisted dying received palliative care. Assisted dying is the most well monitored aspect of end-of-life care. Data is collected routinely and reported on annually to ensure use of the law is safe and transparent.

Assisted dying laws empower people to make decisions about how, when and where they die. The vast majority of people who have an assisted death die in familiar surroundings at home. In contrast to many deaths in hospitals and hospices, people who have an assisted death have a clear opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones. Because people who have an assisted death are not sedated before they die or receiving large doses of pain relief, they retain clarity of thought up until the end of their lives.