In a move condemned by pro-life doctors and anti-euthanasia campaigners, Guernsey appears set to consider the legalisation of assisted suicide. In May the island’s elected representatives will decide if the proposal should be allowed to proceed. If given the go-ahead then an 18-month consultation exercise will be called to seek the views of the people.
The proposal has been branded as a cynical attempt by the euthanasia lobby to overcome the opposition it faces in Britain where the introduction of assisted suicide has been repeatedly rejected by Parliament, most recently in 2015 when MPs voted by 330 to 118 against a change in the law.
Commenting on the proposal Maria Madise, International Director for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said "The euthanasia lobby is hoping that a change in the law will allow Guernsey to be used by non-residents seeking to end their lives through so-called ‘suicide tourism’. However, any legislation which permits doctors to kill their patients creates a situation where some groups are regarded as second class, and unworthy of the legal protection provided to able-bodied individuals. In countries where it is practised assisted suicide has radically redefined the relationship between doctors and patients. It has created a ‘duty to die' which leaves the elderly, the infirm, the disabled and even the mentally ill, vulnerable to being killed. Legal safeguards have proven to be worthless. If supporters of this proposal are successful they will seriously undermine the whole medical profession and threaten the lives of vulnerable people across the British Isles.
"British MPs have consistently refused to back the introduction of assisted suicide. This should make the people of Guernsey realise just how dangerous this proposal is," she concluded. "They shouldn’t wait for the consultation exercise, they should immediately urge their politicians to reject any change in the law."
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