NEWS AND COMMENT
Should we be able to choose our own death?
The BBC Ideas website has recently added a short video titled ‘Should we be able to choose our own death?’. Although MDMD had no part in its making, it demonstrates…
Dignitas hit out at UK politicians
Dignitas issued a hard-hitting press release this week "Ignorance, irresponsibility and hypocrisy – How a majority of UK politicians violate human rights and create suffering and costs". Here's an extract:
Extending the Oregon Right to Die Law. Evidence of a “Slippery Slope”?
A recent article in the Washington Post describes moves in Oregon, USA to try to extend their Death with Dignity Act to include help for those suffering from degenerative diseases…
The courts may be able to wait, but Omid can’t.
The latest stage of Omid’s legal case to be allowed an assisted death in the UK was heard in the High Court on 7/8th March 2018. The Daily Mail reported…
Is the Dutch Euthanasia law working as intended?
The Daily Mail reported recently on a number of euthanasia cases in the Netherlands which are being investigated over concerns that the correct procedures may not have been followed, leading…
Living with Dementia – comparing two cases of Early Onset Dementia
The Observer recently published a story about Wendy Mitchell, an Alzheimer's sufferer whose memoir, 'Somebody I Used to Know', has recently been published. The article gives in interesting insight into…
Lady Lucan Coronor’s Suicide Verdict – Fear of Parkinson’s Disease
The Telegraph reports that the coroner investigating the death of Lady Lucan in September 2017 recorded a verdict of suicide. Lady Lucan is reported to have "self-diagnosed" as having Parkinson's…
Hospital trust pays out £45,000 for ignoring an Advance Decision
The BBC report the case of 81 yr old Brenda Grant who was kept alive for 22 months by artificial feeding, against the instructions in her Advance Decision, (AD), because…
New Report on Outsourcing Assisted Dying to Switzerland
An excellent report 'The True Cost - How the UK Outsources Death to Dignitas' was recently published by Dignity in Dying, discussing the many difficulties associated with UK citizens choosing…
Victoria, Australia law passes the upper house
Excellent news from Australia. Further to our previous report, the upper house of the Australian state of Victoria has passed a Voluntary Assisted Dying bill. The bill passed by 22…
Pharmacist driven to break a bad law.
The Daily Telegraph has been following another case relating to assisted suicide / murder. Pharmacist Bipin Desai was accused of giving his 85 year old father a lethal drink containing…
Dementia and Alzheimer’s increasingly the leading cause of death
n October 2016 the Office of National Statistics reported that in 2015 dementia and Alzheimer's were now the leading cause of death in England and Wales. We discussed this in…
When is it right to turn off Life Support?
The Daily Mail recently reported a case of a 74 year old woman in a minimally conscious state, whose daughter has won a court case to have her mother's life…
Update on Omid T’s High Court Case
Omid T suffers from Multiple Systems Atrophy. An incurable condition which has permanently reduced his quality of life below the level he is able to accept. It is not a…
Is “Mercy Killing” ever the right thing to do?
The BBC, and a number of newspapers, (see the Ayrshire Post), report the story of Ian Gordon who smothered his wife of 46 years with a pillow as "a final…
MS Sufferer Colin Campbell’s deferred assisted death raises important questions about help for the disabled
In April 2017 MS sufferer Colin Campbell publicly stated his intention to end his life in Switzerland on June 15th 2017. Due to the intervention of fellow MS sufferer Rona…
Progress in Victoria, Australia
MDMD is pleased to see that an assisted dying bill in Victoria is making good progress, having passed a vote in the lower house by 47 to 37. The Bill…
Lord Carey explains his change of mind on Assisted Dying
In a short Radio 4 programme in the series "Why I Changed My Mind", broadcast on 18th Sept 2017, former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, explains why, in 2014, he…
Court Ruling no longer needed before life-support is withdrawn from patients with severe illnesses
In a landmark ruling a judge has ruled that in future, in decisions concerning the withdrawal of life-support, including artificial feeding and hydration, a judge's consent is no longer required…
Preferences for care at end of life when mental capacity is diminishing
An interesting scientific study of attitudes in UK and USA towards end of life care and assisted dying in the face of worsening dementia, was published in April 2017 in…
