Dr Cajetan Skowronski (33) is a busy man. He’s a registrar in a Sussex hospital where he works in geriatric medicine. On top of that he is campaigning vigorously against the assisted suicide bill.  At home he has three young children and, ‘a very patient wife’.

Speaking on the day Kim Leadbeater’s bill was published, Dr Skowronski found time to talk to SPUC’s campaign Lives Worth Living. ‘This is an appalling bill,’ he says. ‘The public was told this would be a highly safeguarded piece of legislation, aimed at people with unbearable suffering which could not be treated. In reality the bill applies to anyone with a life expectancy of six months, in the opinion of the doctor prescribing the lethal doses.’

No time to think

Dr Skowronski also considers that the bill is being rushed through in an underhand way. ‘There are 38 pages, 40 clauses and 6 schedules in this bill. The ramifications are far reaching; how we treat and value life, how the NHS would function, the doctor patient relationship etc. This bill is full of holes and pitfalls. And effectively there’s no time to think about it properly. In my view, this rush amounts to a gross act of contempt of Parliament.’

Dr Skowronski points to other serious flaws in the bill. ‘There’s no mention of pain in the bill. And no need for the person seeking assisted suicide to give their motivation for choosing this.’

Evidence from countries which have suicide or euthanasia laws, shows that being a burden to others is high on the list of why people chose this route. Not wanting to be a bother to anyone is a very British trait, which Dr Skowronski sees in his patients, particularly among the generation of those who lived during and just after the last world war. ‘Not wanting to be a trouble to others is admirable and noble,’ he says. ‘But it can make people vulnerable.’

“Bump me off doctor”

Dr Skowronski sees this ‘uniquely toxic mix’ in his elderly patients: ’They don’t want to be a bother so they say: “Bump me off doctor”. At the moment I can tell them that I am not allowed to do this. And then I look at what I can do for them.’

Recalling his own grandmother, Dr Skowronski describes how she came to live with his family when she was recovering from a fall. ‘She was very frail. But she couldn’t bear being helped. For us, we were so glad she was with us. This was an important time for us all. She was able to see two newborn great granddaughters.’

How does Dr Skowronski feel about Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill? ‘Angry’ is his immediate response. ‘I am angry for my patients,’ he says. ‘I love geriatric medicine. There are many rewarding moments. My patients are often neglected and have complex problems. Without a loving family, many will feel the pressure to end their lives. This would be a horrific situation.’

It’s scary

Dr Skowronski gives an insight into how doctors will be impacted if assisted suicide is legalised. ‘Doctors are decent people. They want to do the right thing. But they do what the system tells them. And if the system says killing patients is a therapeutic option, that’s what they will do. It’s scary.’

And what about his own position if the law is changed? ‘Well, I’m campaigning hard so that this doesn’t happen,’ he says. ‘But if I was forced to cooperate with a system which calls killing patients a therapy I might have to think seriously about moving abroad. There’s no assisted suicide in Poland, but I was born and brought up in Britain, where I am culturally at home.’

Clarion call

Dr Skowronski is very active on social media opposing Kim Leadbeater’s bill. And he is in demand for media interviews. ‘We can win this!’ is his clarion call to the pro-life community. ‘There are many MPs in the middle ground of this debate. They are not necessarily against us in principle, but they are swayed by the truly tragic, and very rare, cases where pain and suffering cannot be ameliorated. These are the MPs we need to reach.’