By Bill Heaney
An overwhelming majority of people in Britain support legalising assisted dying, according to the largest ever poll of public opinion.
Shared exclusively with ITV News, the poll conducted by Opinium on behalf of the organisation Dignity in Dying, a pro-assisted suicide group, shows a majority of support in every constituency of England, Scotland and Wales.
More than 10,000 people were asked if they support making it legal for a person to seek assisted dying in the UK, also known as assisted suicide. A total of 75% of people said they did, with just 14% opposed.
The law currently prohibits anyone from helping a person to die by suicide in the UK.
Scotland’s Catholic bishops, including Archbishop William Nolan, whose diocese includes West Dunbartonshire and parts of Argyll, and goes as far north as Arrochar and west as far as Rosneath, responded immediately, choosing to call the process assisted suicide rather than dying.
Archbishop William Nolan, Sir Keith Starmer, Rishi Sunak and Liam McArthur.
In a submission to the consultation on assisted suicide proposed by Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur MSP, Scotland’s Catholic bishops have opposed the proposed law as an attack on human dignity which they say will undermine efforts to prevent all suicides, damage public trust in doctors and leave frail, elderly and disabled people feeling they are a burden on society.
The Church response was submitted to the consultation by Anthony Horan, Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, who commented: “Assisted suicide attacks human dignity and is based on the mistaken belief that individuals can lose their value and worth. The state should support the provision of care, not the deliberate killing, of those at the end of life.”
Mr Horan added: “Apart from the fact that assisted suicide undermines efforts to prevent suicide and sends a message that suicide is sometimes appropriate it sends a clear message to frail, elderly and disabled Scots about the value that society places on them and puts pressure on them to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden on others. This is intolerable and utterly wrong.
“No matter how well intentioned the safeguards are, it is impossible for any government to draft assisted suicide laws which include legal protection from future expansion of those laws. The slippery slope is real and dangerous. MSPs should be preventing suicide, not assisting it by introducing a dangerous law with deadly and irreparable consequences.”
The poll found a majority of support across all age groups, with most Christians, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs also in favour of a change in the law.
Those of Muslim faith are the only demographic to oppose assisted suicide, reducing support in some constituencies with large Muslim populations.
The polling comes amid growing calls for a change in the law, following legalisation in a growing number of other countries.
Last year the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said he would support assisted dying if a bill was brought to the UK parliament.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also recently said that he would respect parliament’s decision if it chooses to legalise the practice.
Both leaders suggested a change would have to come about via a free vote on a private members’ bill, brought forward by a backbench MP.
Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie, pictured right, told The Democrat: “I voted against the two previous bills brought forward by Margo McDonald and Patrick Harvie as they were far too wide in scope. Liam’s bill is much narrower and only applies to people with a terminal illness with a strict set of criteria.
“That said, I am still concerned about the safeguards in place and will consider all the information before deciding how I will vote. Based on my previous votes it is likely that I will oppose the bill but I have been moved by constituents whose loved ones have experienced terrible pain in dying.
“I promised them I would think long and hard before coming to a final view. There was a conference on the future of care in Clydebank which has been organised by people opposed to the bill and I will be attending this.”
The last time the House of Commons voted on assisted dying was in 2015, when it was defeated by two to one.
MSPs are currently considering a private members’ bill in the Scottish parliament, while the Isle of Man voted last year to legalise assisted dying, meaning it will likely become the first place in the British isles to introduce it.
Assisted suicide is already legal in countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and several states in the USA.
There are growing calls for the UK to adopt a similar law, with the campaign group Dignity in Dying asking for assisted dying to be available to people with a terminal illness who have fewer than six months to live.
However, there is significant opposition to a change in the law among some doctors, religious groups and disability campaigners.
The British Medical Association (BMA) recently adopted a neutral stance on assisted dying, but last week consultant doctors within the BMA voted for a motion ensuring they would not be expected to be involved in assisted suicide in any way.
Dr David Randall is a renal consultant, who told ITV he is concerned that vulnerable people could be pressured in to assisted suicide.
“It’s part of my job as a doctor to address that and I really believe that’s possible through the best palliative care.”
Others argue against assisted dying on the basis that palliative care is now good enough to alleviate suffering without needing to end a person’s life prematurely.
Last month, the Health Select Committee at Westminster produced a report stating, however, that assisted dying has not diminished the quality of palliative care in other countries, giving patients choice.
But other opposition remains, including from some disability rights campaigners and religious groups such as the Catholic Church, who worry that assisted dying will diminish the value of all lives.
Just seen the opposite is true. That doctors are not for it.