SPUC is urging supporters to submit a complaint to the BBC following its biased reporting on an assisted suicide committee report.

The Health and Social Care Committee published its report on its 14-month inquiry into assisted suicide on 29 February. SPUC has welcomed the detailed report, which catalogues the dangers of legalising assisted suicide or euthanasia.

The Committee rejected a late call to recommend a Parliamentary debate on assisted suicide along with a “review” of Britain’s suicide law.

Despite this, the BBC’s coverage has been described by SPUC as “hopelessly biased”– referring only to “assisted dying” despite the report also using the term “assisted suicide”. The BBC also heavily promoted the views of celebrities in favour of assisted suicide legalisation. BBC articles on assisted suicide have been littered with pro-assisted suicide rhetoric, and it has now been accused of misrepresenting the Committee’s conclusions on palliative care.

SPUC’s Public Policy Manager Alithea Williams said: “The UK has recently had to endure an onslaught of pro-assisted suicide media bias, which appears hellbent on skewing the narrative to allow assisted suicide in the UK.

“We cannot let them control the narrative. Please contact the BBC and make clear that this biased reporting will not be tolerated, and that the BBC must issue a correction and amend its article to better reflect the contents of the report.”

How to respond

SPUC has analysed the report from the Health and Social Care committee and established the most important points that you should raise with the BBC.

When corresponding with the BBC, you could include that the report from the Health and Social Care Committee states that:

• There is evidence that access to good-quality palliative care reduces the demand for assisted suicide. 
• There is evidence in both Europe and Canada that the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide has had a negative impact on the provision of palliative care. 
• The report points out that Parliament has given the issue of assisted suicide considerable attention with ten Bills or amendments being introduced in the ten years between 2003 – 2022.
• The committee rejected proposals to call on the Government to facilitate the passage of new legislation.

If you would like to respond to the BBC, you can do this here.

SPUC’s Ms Williams added: “The threat of assisted suicide to the UK is serious. If assisted suicide is legalised, vulnerable people will be put at risk and face pressure to end their lives prematurely. We cannot allow this to happen, and we cannot allow biased media outlets to influence the assisted suicide debate in the UK. Please contact the BBC now.”