Do we have a right to die?
- Katharyn Daniels
- Dec 30, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 9, 2019
Assisted dying, assisted suicide and euthanasia are hotly contested issues in the UK. Do we legislate to allow this, and potentially put vulnerable people at risk? Or do we keep it illegal and take that choice away from the people who want it the most?
Taboo has spoken to two campaigners from national campaign groups - one on each side of the debate - to find out why they argue their cause.
"The right to die can become a duty to die." - Alistair Thompson
"Allow these people to have a meaningful say in how they die." - Ellie Ball
Article Eight of the Human Rights Act. The right to a private life.
It's a well known and oft quoted right from the act. A basic human right. The right to live life privately and without interference. But does this then extend to death? The right to die privately without interference, and without the government telling you if your death is illegal or not?
What about the right to assisted death?
Campaign groups in the UK have been vocal in recent years, demanding a change in assisted dying laws. Currently, it's illegal under the Suicide Act to encourage or assist a suicide or attempted suicide.
In Switzerland, Oregon and Holland – to name just a few places - people can travel to clinics and they can, if they wish to, die peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.
Ellie Ball, media and campaigns officer at the group Dignity in Dying, says the group “campaign for a change in the law to allow terminally ill people who are mentally competent at the end of their lives to have the choice of an assisted death.
“The evidence shows that the current law in the UK is broken and outdated.”
Of course, there are some in this country who are worried that a change in the law will put vulnerable people at risk. That palliative care needs improvement. That dying is not an option.
Alistair Thompson, spokesperson for the Care Not Killing Alliance, argues: “There are a huge number of people that are ending their lives prematurely, not because of the conditions that they have but because they see themselves becoming a burden.”
The last vote on this issue in parliament was in 2015, and was ultimately rejected nearly three to one. Alistair sees this rejection as MPs “understanding the dangers of changing the law.”
However, the debate did not end there.
In November 2018, Noel Conway took his legal battle to the Supreme Court, which rejected his case saying that his “chance of success was ‘not sufficient’.”
The motor neurone disease sufferer had had his final chance in a protracted legal battle turned down. His terminal, incurable illness means his muscles will gradually weaken until he cannot move, breathe or communicate. As Ellie described: “he is facing a considerable amount of suffering and the prospect of a pretty awful, drawn out death that would be agony for him, as well as for his family to witness.”
The decision to reject Mr Conway’s case has been viewed very differently by both campaign groups. Ellie explained that Dignity in Dying see it as a “grave injustice to people like Noel who simply want a say over how and when they die.”
She added: “Noel is incredibly disappointed and so are we.” On the other hand, Alistair said that the position of Care Not Killing is they “welcomed” the decision adding: “the judges have been fairly consistent, just like Parliament.”
Whichever viewpoint you take on the situation, it's clear that one individual now does not have the choice over how and when they die, even going as far to say that that is the human rights issue - that's certainly how Ellie feels.
“The current law infringes on his human rights because it denies him the choice of an assisted death and forces him to suffer against his wishes.”
Both campaign groups have a very different idea of where to go next following this news about the rejection of Noel Conway’s case. Ellie called on the government to “take heed of his [Noel’s] words” and “do the right thing.” She explained that the next step for Dignity in Dying was to convince MPs that this is a step that the UK should take.
However, Alistair suggested that this is now an opportunity to move the debate forward and away from assisted dying.
“What we should be doing is concentrating on caring for people rather than killing them.
There are many arguments for and against the law change, but despite it currently being illegal, Ellie claimed that assisted dying does still happen.
She added that every eight days, someone from the UK travels to Switzerland to end their life and around 300 terminally ill people in England end their own lives “behind closed doors, probably frightened and alone. Often in pain.”
There are options to help people with terminal illness and diseases. Alistair strongly advocated for improvement to palliative and social care systems, saying: “we have the best hospice movement anywhere in the world and it is staffed by, I think, the most inspiring people.
“We are not ensuring access to the best quality of care or drugs across the UK. We just do not fund it as we should.”
Whatever your viewpoint, whether you agree with assisted dying laws or not - it's hard to deny that without the legalisation in place, there are people facing the knowledge of having an agonising death and they are either without the choice of how and when they go, or they are without adequate care while they are alive.
Isn’t that the most inhumane part of it all?
If you are affected by any of the issues in this article UK readers can contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
A list of hotlines worldwide can be found here
For more information or support from either the Care Not Killing Alliance or Dignity in Dying visit their websites.
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