Latest news with #assisteddying
Sky News
16 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
'Deeply dangerous' assisted dying bill should be scrapped, says leading care consultant
Why you can trust Sky News A leading British palliative care consultant has described the assisted dying bill as "not fit for purpose" and is urging MPs to stop the bill from progressing any further. Rejecting assurances from supporters of assisted dying who claim the proposed British version would be based on the scheme used in the American state of Oregon - widely regarded as the model with the most safeguards - Dr Amy Proffitt said "it's far from a safe system". "The majority, 80% of the people that have assisted death have government insurance with Medicaid or Medicare suggesting that the vulnerable in society are not worth it," she said. "Put that into our NHS and what does it say about us as a society... those with disability, those with learning disabilities, those with social deprivation?" Dr Proffitt added: "I think it's deeply dangerous for the bill that has been proposed and it needs to be scrapped and we go back and look again." She and other leading palliative care doctors have expressed concern about the erosion of end of life care if the bill passes. It is a fear expressed by Britain's hospice sector. Dr Ted Gruber, a retired Oregon doctor who has assisted numerous assisted deaths, says those fears have not been realised and the state's hospice sector has strengthened since the introduction of assisted dying in Oregon in 1994. He says he has never had any doubts about his role as a physician who assists a patient's death. "I've never been conflicted," he explains. "I've attended a number of them. "Each of the ones I've attended has been almost sacred if you will, it's hard to explain but with the family there, the family dog in the bed, with the music playing that they want. "Everyone's sad, everyone's crying, it's not a joyful moment but in a way it's kind of a sacred moment." Oregon's assisted dying laws have not seen the same number of changes to widen the cohort groups who would qualify for an assisted death in the way, for example, Canada has. So it has managed to steer clear of the "slippery slope" criticism levelled at other programmes. Dr Gruber also said the assisted death scheme in Oregon had enhanced the patient-physician relationship. "The role of the doctor who is attending the dying patient is one of listening and paying attention to what the needs of the dying patient are and it's eroded when the patient can't trust the doctor," he said. "When I've seen a patient who has tried to talk to a doctor about aid in dying and they're like 'oh, I won't do that, I'm opposed to it'... well that doesn't enhance a doctor-patient relationship, it will be enhanced when a doctor says let's talk about why you want to ask that." Oregon's assisted death model is the closest to what is being proposed in the UK. Both require it to apply only to adults who are terminally ill, mentally competent, and have six months to live or less, and to take the drugs themselves. But while Oregon cases are reviewed by two doctors, in the UK they would be reviewed by a panel including a psychiatrist, a social worker and a legal professional. In Oregon, the drugs are posted to the individual for them to take when ready, whereas in the UK, a healthcare professional would bring them on the day of the planned death. Marcy Lehman's father Ted was "her hero, the person I looked up to'. An Oregon doctor, he chose to have an assisted death at home in Portland surrounded by his family. Marcy was there by his side. And it was for her, her mother and ultimately her father, the right decision. "This was my hero, the person I looked up to, and now the roles were switched and I was taking care of him, and I had to be his hero," Marcy said. She explained that his stomach cancer "was starting to work up his system so he couldn't eat." "My dad was a strong person and stronger even up until his death," Marcy added. "He didn't want someone to have to go to the bathroom with him to help with that or to feed him that wasn't what he wanted - yeah, he was in pain, he could endure the pain, but it was really more the dignified way he wanted to leave this Earth." Ted's family are grateful that they live in a state where assisted death is allowed. It's a choice they would make again if they had to. Now the UK must soon decide if that same choice is made available over here. The Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill was introduced to the House of Commons last October. Later next month, MPs will be asked to vote again in a ballot that will decide the fate of the proposed legislation.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Health and Disability Commission says operating budget $1.9m less than previous years
The Health and Disability Commission lost nearly 10 percent of its funding in this year's Budget. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Health and Disability Commission cannot yet confirm whether it will have to make any staff redundant after losing nearly 10 percent of its funding in this year's Budget. A spokesperson for the consumer health watchdog said the total operating budget was $1.9 million less than in previous years. "This is due to the end of time-limited funding ($2.9m) that was provided in 2021 and extended for 2024/25." That has been "partly offset" by an extra one-off $1m for the 2025/26 year to help the HDC clear a backlog of complaints. When asked whether any jobs would be lost as a result, the commission said no decisions had been made. "We are not in a position to comment any further until we have completed engagement with our staff. "We remain committed to fulfilling our critical function to uphold people's rights and manage complaints." The $2.9m in time-limited funding was introduced by the Labour Government in 2021, to ensure the HDC had capacity to protect the rights of patients using assisted dying services. The new government axed the funding in its 2024 Budget, but subsequently extended it for another year. According to its 2024 annual report, the number of complaints to the HDC increased 52 percent over five years. The 3628 complaints received by HDC in 2023/24 was the highest number of complaints ever received in a single year, which placed significant pressure and led to delays in resolving some of them. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
France approves right-to-die law
France's lower house of parliament has approved a controversial bill to legalize assisted dying for adults with terminal illnesses, amid deep divisions in a country with strong Catholic traditions. The National Assembly voted 305 to 199 in favor of the measure, which is backed by President Emmanuel Macron. The bill now moves to the Senate and will return to the lower house for a second reading. Supporters hope it will become law by 2027. France currently allows what is called passive euthanasia – such as withdrawing life support – and deep sedation before death. Under the bill, patients could request lethal medication, which they would take themselves, or if physically unable, have administered by a doctor or nurse. They must be over 18, hold French citizenship or residency, and be suffering from an irreversible, advanced, or terminal illness causing constant, untreatable pain. People with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's would not qualify. A medical team would assess each case. After a period of reflection, the patient could receive the drug at home, in a care home, or medical facility. The government described the bill as 'an ethical response to the need to support the sick and the suffering,' calling it 'neither a new right nor a freedom… but a balance between respect and personal autonomy.' Macron hailed the vote as 'an important step' toward a more humane approach to end-of-life care. A separate bill establishing a right to palliative care passed unopposed. France's proposal would be more restrictive than laws in countries such as Belgium or the Netherlands, where euthanasia – in which doctors give a lethal injection at the patient's request – has been legal since 2002 and extended to minors. Similar laws exist in Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, and Colombia. Medically assisted suicide, where patients take prescribed lethal medication themselves, is legal in Switzerland and several US states. Right-to-die campaigners have welcomed the law, though describing it as relatively modest in scope. 'We've been waiting for this for decades,' said Stephane Gemmani of the ADMD association. Critics warn the definitions are too broad, potentially allowing assisted dying for patients who could live for years. Some fear the bill could undermine medical ethics, erode care standards, and expose vulnerable people to subtle pressure to die. 'It would be like a loaded pistol left on my bedside table,' a 44-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease told a protest outside parliament, according to the BBC. This month, France's religious leaders issued a joint statement denouncing the 'dangers' of an 'anthropological rupture.' Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X this week that it is 'not a bill of fraternity but a bill of abandonment.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Second Lib Dem MP withdraws support for England and Wales assisted dying bill
A second Liberal Democrat MP has said they have changed their mind over the assisted dying bill and will vote against it at the next Commons stage, in another sign of a wider, if so far slight, ebbing away of support for the measure. In an email to constituents, Brian Mathew, the Melksham and Devizes MP, said that while he had backed the bill at its second reading vote, in April, scrutiny of the plans had left 'several concerns I feel have been inadequately answered'. His announcement follows comments last week by Steve Darling, the Torbay MP who is also the Lib Democrat work and pensions spokesperson. Darling said that while he had backed the bill in April he was now 'marginally against' it, but had not yet decided whether he would vote against it or abstain. About eight other MPs who either supported the private member's bill, led by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, at its second reading or did not vote have said they will now oppose it. However, at least two who abstained in April are now supporters, while the Runcorn and Helsby byelection earlier in May resulted in a Labour MP who opposed the plan replaced by a Reform UK one who backs it. Given the second reading of the bill was passed with a majority of 55, the numbers thus far indicate it should also get through the third reading, scheduled for 20 June. A week before, on 13 June, MPs will debate amendments to the bill for a second day. The first day of debates on amendments drawn up during a lengthy committee stage resulted in some changes being agreed, including an opt-out for all healthcare workers from being involved in assisted dying, extending the exemption from just doctors. That debate also featured angry complaints from some MPs opposed to assisted dying after the prominent campaigner Esther Rantzen argued many in their camp were fighting against the changes to the law because of secret religious views. In his message to constituents, Mathew said he had heard 'eloquent and challenging viewpoints' from all sides, and he changed his stance over the bill following the recent weeks of debates. 'I share the concerns of many constituents that individuals facing terminal illness will take the decision based on concerns that they have become a burden upon their family,' he wrote. 'This is a serious concern for me; I worry that in someone's final days, this question will loom heavy when it does not need to.' This was all the more the case, Mathew said, when the palliative care system as it stood was so bad. Speaking ahead of the first day of debates about amendments, Leadbeater warned that if MPs voted down her bill at third reading then 'the conversation ends' on the subject, with dreadful consequences for many terminally ill people. She dismissed the idea that if the bill was defeated, the subject could return as government legislation or a royal commission, noting the long gap between the last time assisted dying was debated in the Commons, in 2015, and her efforts. 'What worries me is, if the bill doesn't pass, the conversation ends, and that would be really dreadful for so many people, for so many reasons,' she said.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
French lawmakers approve assisted dying bill
France's lower house of parliament has approved a right-to-die bill in the first reading, taking an initial step in the lengthy process to pass legislation. A total of 305 lawmakers in the National Assembly approved the legislation on Tuesday while 199 deputies voted against the bill to grant patients medical assistance to end their lives in defined circumstances. The text has the backing of President Emmanuel Macron but is opposed by some conservative groups. In a statement on X, Macron praised the approval of the bill as 'an important step' on 'the path of fraternity'. 'The National Assembly's vote on legislation concerning the development of palliative care and assisted dying is an important step,' Macron posted. 'With respect for sensitivities, doubts and hopes, the path of fraternity that I hoped for is gradually opening up.' The legislation will be sent to the French Senate for further debate. Months could be required to schedule a definitive vote on the measure, given France's long and complex parliamentary process. The National Assembly has the final say over the Senate. The legislation is expected to eventually pass as polls indicated that more than 90 percent of French people are in favour of laws that give people with terminal diseases or going through interminable suffering the right to die. The proposed measure defines assisted dying as allowing people to use lethal medication under certain conditions. They may take it themselves, or those whose physical conditions don't allow them to do so alone would be able to get help from a doctor or nurse. To benefit, patients would need to be over 18, be French citizens or live in France. A team of medical professionals would need to confirm that the patient has a grave and incurable illness 'at an advanced or terminal stage', is suffering from intolerable and untreatable pain, and is seeking lethal medication of their own free will. Patients with severe psychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease will not be eligible. A person would initiate the request for lethal medication and confirm the request after a period of reflection. If approved, a doctor would deliver a prescription for the lethal medication, which could be taken at home, a nursing home or a healthcare facility. A 2023 report indicated that most French citizens back legalising end-of-life options, and opinion polls showed growing support over the past 20 years. Initial discussions in parliament last year were abruptly interrupted by Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly, plunging France into a months-long political crisis.
