Euthanasia to be legalized in England
British MPs were given only five hours to discuss the assisted suicide law.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes that five hours is sufficient for MPs to discuss a bill on providing assistance to terminally ill individuals, reports The European Conservative.
One of the most significant new piece of lawmaking in Britain has already passed its second reading in the House of Lords.
Opponents of the new bill are outraged by the speed of its review. Dr. Gordon Macdonald, CEO of the anti-euthanasia group Care, Not Killing, noted that "given the seriousness of the proposed law, which would fundamentally change health care and put pressure on vulnerable terminally ill people to end their lives prematurely, that the debate is being limited to just a few hours."
He told The European Conservative that "no wonder many MPs are saying they have not had the time to properly scrutinise the bill and talk to their constituents," adding: “MPs should reject this dangerous bill and instead focus on fixing the UK’s broken palliative care system and ensuring universal access and funding.”
Labour Party Health Minister Wes Streeting stated that the British palliative care system is in a dire state, meaning that the new legislation could see people being “coerced” into ending their lives.
Healthcare professionals and church leaders have also criticized the speed of the bill’s adoption and the limited time allocated for parliamentary debates, which are scheduled for November 29.
Conservative MP Danny Kruger described the bill as "just as bad as all the other efforts to license doctors to kill patients." He also remarked that "the Bill makes it LEGAL for a doctor to suggest assisted suicide to a patient who hasn’t mentioned it (a common problem in cash-strapped health systems), but ILLEGAL for a doctor to refuse to refer someone for Assisted Suicide if they request it. No neutrality here.”
Previously, the UOJ reported on the dangers of euthanasia.
