Health rules out new euthanasia debate as UK pressure mounts
Thursday 19th March 2009, 2:33PM GMT.
HEALTH has ruled out revisiting euthanasia despite mounting pressure in the UK to get the issue debated there.
The States last debated voluntary euthanasia in 2004, when former Health minister Peter Roffey’s minority report was defeated by 32 votes to 14.
Many deputies said at the time that they were sure the issue would be brought back for debate.
But despite 100 MPs signing an Early Day Motion calling for a debate on assisted dying, a spokesman for the Health and Social Services Department confirmed the issue was not one of its priorities.
‘Following the States debate in 2004, there were some recommendations in relation to “death with dignity”, such as increasing the number of palliative care nurses – and the HSSD has progressed those accordingly,’ he said.
‘However, the margin of vote on euthanasia by States members then was such that, given the need to prioritise our already stretched resources, revisiting this subject and/or monitoring developments elsewhere is not something that the HSSD is in a position to undertake.’
However, Deputy Barry Brehaut, who voted for the introduction of limited euthanasia last time, said the island was lagging behind the rest of the developed world when it came to social policies.
‘This is a clear social policy issue that sooner or later Guernsey will have to address,’ he said.
Deputy Brehaut, the deputy minister at Health, said that his personal view was to support a person’s choice to end their own life if they were terminally ill and in great pain.
‘I was disappointed we did not get it in the first time around,’ he said.
‘I think it’s very unfair for people to have to go to clinics abroad to have this done instead of being in their own home with their family around them.’
But he added that now was not the right time for Guernsey to revisit the issue.
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I have no idea whether the “spokesman for the Health and Social Services Department” who confirmed the issue was not one of its priorities, is States member or not.
Isn’t it right that whether or not the issue should be debated should be one decided by the States and not some anonymous “spokesman for the Health and Social Services Department”
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Euthenasia or partial already exists. Ask any doctor ‘privately’
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This is a subject that needs a lot more clarification than simply a persons right to die.
A recent case in Guernsey , the lady was not terminally ill. She may have had “other” influences” .
Whilst it may be a private matter for the person or their family it should not be a secret.
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Euthanasia should be allowed; its the writing of the law that will be tricky.
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Jackie is so right in saying that “Euthanasia or partial already exists”,
However, the information is freely available. Just Google “double effect” and “letting die” and possibly read the Leslie Burke case to see just how much discretion doctors have in whether or not we die.
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I agree totally with “ERNEST”, Guernsey needs to deal with the Dignitas cases that generate from the island before they start debating euthanasia. A person in authority should be looking at the mistakes that have taken place.
The lady in question was not terminally ill and the law does not want to question anybody about the events that took place.
How then can you have a reasoned debate about this subject when people turn a blind eye??
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I agree that we should have a debate about euthanasia. It is possibly true that medics can ‘help’ someone in the terminal stages of illness to die by prescribing large doses of pain relieving medication but this is not euthanasia – this is effective pain control. Euthanasia in the dignitas clinics is undertaken by people who may have a terminal illness but are not in the terminal stages of their illness. They are fit enough to get themselves to Switzerland and they therefore commit assisted suicide. A lot of these people may feel that they have no option as they do not want to get to the stage where they are totally dependent on carers and lose all their independence and dignity. This is the difficulty which has to be discussed.
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Merlin – although I am completely opposed to euthanasia I will try to be as objective as possible.
In response to your first point, correct me if I’m wrong but we did have a debate about euthanasia in 2004. I appreciate that was 5 years ago but have times really changed that much to warrant another debate? Or is this just a case of the pro-euthanasia lobby thinking “let’s raise it over and over again until we get our way”? – sorry not very objective here but it’s difficult to be!
Irrespective of any personal views on this subject there is a finite amount of time for the States to debate issues and they shouldn’t take up endless hours debating the same issues over and over again – unless of course it’s paid parking which seems to rear it’s ugly head all too often! ;-)
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If your dog was terminally ill and in terrible pain you would have it put down as an act of mercy.
Why would you not afford that same act of kindness to a terminally ill person ?
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CD: I could not have put that better myself. I completely agree with you.
If the person is in constant pain, cannot do anything for themselves, then this is not a good quality of life. If they want to die, then let them die with some dignity.
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We could use the Logans Run model of everyone being zapped at 32. As soo nas the spot on your hand goes red, your time is up.
Helpful?
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CD – spot on.
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