Andrew Barclay took a lethal dose of barbiturates at Dignitas, and his story is now being used to push for euthanasia in the UK.
A man with multiple sclerosis travelled to Dignitas last week to die by euthanasia, despite being told he could live another decade. His story is being used to push for euthanasia laws in the UK.
Andrew Barclay, 65, from Folkestone in Kent, died after taking a lethal dose of drugs in an apartment near Zurich, having travelled to Switzerland with his wife.
The story was on the front page of the Saturday edition of the Daily Mirror, with the headline "If you're reading this- I'm already dead". The former civil servant called on& UK legislators to allow euthanasia amid concerns that his wife may face a police investigation on her return to Britain for assisting him.
Many of the media reports say that the case means that the UK should change laws on assisted suicide, with few quoting the views of opponents.
Dr Anthony McCarthy of SPUC said, "The media coverage of this story further reveals the ongoing campaign to make euthanasia acceptable to the British public, despite recent parliamentary defeats. The message sent out by Dignitas in cases such as these is not one of people's need for compassion, solidarity and medical care, but rather that certain lives can be arbitrarily destroyed for reasons unrelated to any genuine respect for human dignity."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/if-youre-reading-im-already-9427571
"Baby or your money back"
An IVF finance company is offering a "baby or your money back" scheme for childless couples.
British medical funding firm Assured Fertility says that recent advances in IVF, which ensure that only the healthiest embryos are implanted, have made it possible to create a baby for £10,000 - and if the procedure does not work, they get their money back.
Dr Anthony McCarthy of SPUC said, "We have moved from a production process for bringing about new children, to those 'products' being subjected to lethal 'quality-control', to the idea that such 'quality-controlled products' can now be purchased with a money-back guarantee. The idea of human life as a gift to be received and not property to which we have rights of ownership is one we all need to remember, especially in these consumerist times where human dignity is so often ignored."
Campaigners urge Scottish Government to use devolved powers to decriminalise abortion
A group of abortion rights organisations have released a report arguing that abortion in Scotland should be removed from criminal law and regulated "like any other healthcare issue". The campaign comes after powers to regulate abortion were devolved to the Scottish parliament in May.
The report was backed by Amnesty Scotland, NUS Scotland, Scottish Women's Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, Close the Gap and Zero Tolerance. Sandy Brindley, national co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: "Access to safe abortion must be a fundamental right for all women."
CEO of SPUC Scotland, John Deighan said: "What decriminalisation actually means is abortion to birth and for any reason. Most decent Scots would be appalled by this notion. By proposing this, Engender highlights how out of touch they are, and in denial of basic human rights."
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14959267.Call_for_Scotland_to_use_new_powers_to_decriminalise_abortion/?ref=rss