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Northern Irish Politicians Robustly Oppose Changing “Assisted Suicide” Law : 12th Nov 09
Two Northern Ireland MLAs have spoken out against any weakening of the law on “assisted suicide”, saying it should be “strenuously opposed”. Jeffrey Donaldson and Simon Hamilton made clear their opposition to any attempt to hamstring the law against helping people kill themselves, which is currently illegal.
Last month the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, Keir Starmer QC, issued interim guidance outlining the public interest factors he’ll consider before deciding to pursue “assisted suicide” cases.
At the same time, Northern Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions launched a public consultation on the guidelines specific to the province. Mr Starmer’s guidance stemmed from the Law Lords’ ruling that followed “assisted suicide” campaigner Debbie Purdy’s case.
Mr Hamilton, a DUP MLA for Strangford, said, “There are quite clearly a small minority of individuals in our country who are attempting to use the verdict in the Purdy case not just to clarify the criminal law surrounding prosecutions of those who help people to end their own lives, but to go much, much further and legalise assisted suicide”. He added that he believed the “overwhelming majority” of people “value all life”.
“Any such attempt”, he stated, “to legalise assisted suicide and make distinctions about the value of one life compared to another would be morally repugnant”.
Mr Hamilton echoed the concerns of many who warn that any loosening of the law on “assisted suicide” would endanger vulnerable people: “If assisted suicide were to be permitted under the law and those who helped in taking a life were immune from prosecution, how can we protect the elderly from malign influence, or the depressed?”
Jeffery Donaldson, speaking before a debate on “assisted suicide” in the Northern Ireland Assembly, commented, “It is appalling that there are those who advocate the view that some people would be ‘better off dead’. All human life is precious, and any moves towards devaluing life should rightly be resisted”. “Many vulnerable people”, he continued, “may feel that because they perceive that their illness or old age makes them a burden for others, that assisted suicide is an easy option”.
He added, “The evidence from jurisdictions where assisted suicide is legal is frightening. In Holland, there were 546 deaths in 2005 as a result of lethal drugs not explicitly requested by the patient”. He ended by saying, “There is also widespread medical opposition to assisted suicide. In a civilised, caring, compassionate and above all Christian society like ours, assisted suicide should be strenuously opposed and never, ever considered as an option”. The Christian Institute. October 27.
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