British House of Commons Passes Bill to Legalise Assisted Suicide, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)
Britain is in a severe state of moral decline. And just when one thinks things have hit rock bottom, the moral ground collapses even further and society tumbles down ever-lower, on the path to hell. Thus, the latest woe is the House of Commons, and common they are, passing a Bill to legalise assisted suicide. The Bill has now been passed to the House of Lords. As with other versions of this type of law, as seen in the US state of Oregon, the majority of people who end up being assisted in suicide, or rather state murdered, are the most vulnerable, people in poverty and ill, sick but not dying, who see themselves as a burden to their family. As stated by Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, the Bill was rushed through parliament rapidly, so that many of the initial safeguards were dropped:
"Take the proposal for the High Court to oversee each application as part of a formal judicial process – something sold to the public as making the Bill the 'safest in the world." Now an opaque informal panel, will review applications, chosen from those with a predisposition in favour of assisted suicide as most medics and psychiatrists will refuse to take part. Importantly the panel will not have the power to compel witnesses like a court, do not have to speak to the applicant, the applicant's loved ones or even the family doctor."
"The current Bill fails to protect vulnerable and disabled people from coercion. This is not hyperbolae but based on what happens in the US state of Oregon, the model for this law. There, a majority of those who have ended their lives in recent years cite fear of being a burden on their families, careers or finances as a reason. While that law has been expanded and extended several times. Worryingly 'terminal' now includes eating disorders such as anorexia and even insulin dependent diabetes."
Palliative care and hospice services in Britain face a funding crisis, with the government not adequately funding them. It seems the Labour government favours legally murdering people, which is what this Bill, if it becomes law, will lead to as we are clearly on a slippery slope now.
"Members of the British House of Commons voted today to pass a dangerous bill to legalize assisted suicide. While the Third Reading vote was closer than previous votes on the measure, 314 to 291, MPs still put their stamp of approval on the bill that will likely result in pressuring disabled and elderly people to kill themselves.
Making the opening speech for the opponents of the Bill, former minister Sir James Cleverly said the rushed process produced a terrible bill.
"We were told at second reading that a lot of the concerns, a lot of the worries, a lot of the detailed questions would be resolved through the committee process. We were promised the gold-standard, a judicially underpinned set of protections and safeguards," he said. "Those protections did not make it through committee."
Labour Mother of the House Diane Abbott said she's concerned that for-profit companies will run assisted dying businesses that take advantage of killing people for money.
She said: "I came to this House to be a voice for the voiceless. It hasn't always been favored by my own leadership, but that is why I came to the House. Who could be more voiceless than somebody who is in their sickbed and believes they are dying?
"I ask members in this debate to speak up for the voiceless one more time, because there is no doubt that if this Bill is passed in its current form, people will lose their lives who do not need to, and they will be amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society."
Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, condemn the vote in comments to LifeNews.
"This is a deeply flawed and dangerous Bill that since November has been made considerably worse with important safeguards watered down or scrapped," he said.
Macdonald continued:
Take the proposal for the High Court to oversee each application as part of a formal judicial process – something sold to the public as making the Bill the 'safest in the world". Now an opaque informal panel, will review applications, chosen from those with a predisposition in favour of assisted suicide as most medics and psychiatrists will refuse to take part. Importantly the panel will not have the power to compel witnesses like a court, do not have to speak to the applicant, the applicant's loved ones or even the family doctor.
The doctor said MPs rushed through the dangerous bill — without giving fair consideration for limits and safeguards to prevent abuse and coercion.
MPs had under 10 hours to consider over 130 amendments to the Bill, or less than 5 minutes per change.
"Does anyone think this is enough time to consider changes to a draft law that quite literally is a matter of life and death?" he asked.
Macdonald continued: "The current Bill fails to protect vulnerable and disabled people from coercion. This is not hyperbolae but based on what happens in the US state of Oregon, the model for this law. There, a majority of those who have ended their lives in recent years cite fear of being a burden on their families, careers or finances as a reason. While that law has been expanded and extended several times. Worryingly 'terminal' now includes eating disorders such as anorexia and even insulin dependent diabetes.
"And while MPs are focused on debating assisted suicide, they are not focusing on palliative and end of life care which is crisis in our Country. One in four people who would benefit from palliative care can't access it and our amazing hospices, are so short of cash that 20 per cent of them have cut services or staff. This is what we should be talking about. We need much more care, not killing."
The bill has now passed all its stages in the House of Commons and will go to the House of Lords, where it is likely to meet more scrutiny."
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