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Killing Granny in the UK – Euthanasia Bill Debated by Virulently Pro-Death British Medical Association

LONDON, June 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While the Canadian Parliament slips its euthanasia bill under the media radar, the UK’s House of Lords is once again revisiting the idea of dispatching inconvenient patients. With the Dutch model leading the way, most western countries are considering implementing legislation allowing patients to be killed on request. 

The UK’s bill, like Canada's, is a private member’s bill tabled by Lord Joffe and has been making headlines for some time. In 2004, the husband of Queen Elizabeth expressed his support at the same time the UK’s Voluntary Euthanasia Society issued a report that showed the bill had 45% support from the public. The proposed bill died on the order paper at the time of the last election but Lord Joffe has pledged to reintroduce it.

Now the British Medical Association (BMA) has pledged to debate the matter. In recent years, however, the BMA has distinguished itself for its support of killing severely disabled infants, for supporting the government in its legal case to reserve the right to starve and dehydrate disabled adults and has a long-standing reputation for being one of the most enthusiastically pro-abortion medical organizations in the world.

In August 1999, BMA guidelines that allowed hospitals to starve and dehydrate to death disabled patients were the cause of the creation of an organization of medical professionals to fight euthanasia. The Medical Ethics Alliance opposed the guidelines which bypassed the need to get a court order to have a person killed. That power would be allowed in “cases involving stroke victims and the confused elderly, even when the patient is not terminally ill.” Relatives of patients, however, would have to go to court to prevent the killing of their loved ones.

Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the BMA's ethics committee has said it is proper for doctors to discuss the issue. Despite the fact that passive euthanasia is already allowed, the BMA still officially opposes direct killing of patients. Wilkes said the topic to be discussed will be if there is any difference between providing lethal drugs for a patient to administer, and having doctors administer them in order to kill. 

Said Wilks, “The BMA has always maintained there is no difference and has remained opposed to a change in the law. But there are some suggestions that there are mixed opinions within the profession. Talking about it and re-examining the issue is the responsible thing to do.”

Read previous LifeSite News.com coverage of BMA support for active or passive euthanasia:

British Medical Association Blasted for Euthanasia
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/aug/99081204.html

British Medical Association "Preferred Bioethicist" Says Infanticide Justifiable
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04012604.html

HW

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