NEWS
“I readily acknowledge that many of these cases are tragic.” says HM Advocate General for Scotland and MoJ spokesperson for the Lords The Rt Hon Lord Keen of Elie QC
Today, in an oral question relating to the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging or Assisting Suicide, several members of the House of…
Assisted Dying Coalition launches
MDMD is delighted with the launch of a formal coalition of like-minded organisations campaigning in the UK and crown dependencies for a change in the law on assisted dying. The…
‘Five to Midnight’ Before Dementia Takes Over
A BBC story discusses the assisted death of dementia sufferers, in particular the case of Annie Zwijnenberg in the Netherlands. Annie was never in any doubt that she wanted euthanasia,…
MDMD Campaign Policy Director responds Dominic Lawson
Today, the Daily Mail published an article by Dominic Lawson, criticising the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) decision to poll their members on assisted dying. His article misses some important…
“Euthanasia in the Netherlands”. Look again, when someone says death will be available on demand.
Christopher Bellaigue raises an important question for those of us who advocate for assisted dying reform. In a society which permits euthanasia, what are the acceptable limits to autonomy? As…
Pulling “the plug on your life support … because of a message you left on facebook” – Fact or Fiction?
MDMD’s Campaigns and Communication Manager, Keiron McCabe, breaks down the new Clinically-Assisted Hydration and Nutrition Guidance from the British Medical Association Recently, writing in the Daily Mail, Dr Max Pemberton…
Parliament hears from top Canadian Doctors, on the experiences of assisted dying abroad
On Tuesday 11th December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on End of Life Choices, met to hear from Dr Sandy Buchman and Professor Sir John Temple, on the role of…
American Family Physicians Association (AAFP) changes position on medical aid in dying
In October 2018 it is reported that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) broke ranks with the American Medical Association (AMA) by adopting a position of “engaged neutrality” on…
MDMD Coordinator asks Baroness Finlay how to avoid late stage dementia
On 29th November 2018 Baroness Ilora Finlay gave a talk at Bristol University titled “As the light fades: Do law and ethics collide?”. Baroness Finlay is a professor of palliative…
Talking about Dying – More than Meets the Eye?
Recently the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), in a widely reported statement, called for doctors to start talking about death earlier. It followed from a report, “Talking about Dying”, which…
PRESS RELEASE: Right to Die Campaigner Noel Conway Loses challenge in UK’s Highest Court
Today, assisted dying campaigner Noel Conway has lost permission to bring a case before the Supreme Court. Diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) four years ago, the retired teacher from…
Assisted Dying in the USA, A Good First Step But Room for Improvement
The BBC2 documentary by Louis Theroux, “Choosing Death”, which aired on Sunday 18th November 2018 and is available on iPlayer until May 2019, showed examples of the Oregon/California right to…
PRESS RELEASE: A New Documentary Has Explored the Realities of Oregon’s Assisted Dying Model
On Sunday, BBC 2 aired the second installment of Louis Theroux’s new documentary series Altered States. “Choosing Death” followed the journeys of Gus, Lorri and Debra, as they grappled with…
Videos from Healthcare and Secularism 2018 Conference
In October 2018, the National Secular Society and the Secular Medical Forum held a joint conference on Healthcare and Secularism. The final two talks concerned assisted dying and the right…
Dementia and Alzheimer’s still increasing as leading cause of death
The Office of National Statistics has recently published data on cause of death in 2017. For the third year running Dementia and Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of death, and…
Video Evidence helps in Rational Suicide Inquest
The BBC reported the inquest into the death of Beryl Taylor(70) who died in Rattlesden, Suffolk, in July 2016. The case is also reported in more detail in the East…
The Omid T Judicial Review: “Bound to be Dismissed”?
On Tuesday 2nd October 2018, Omid T’s assisted dying case , known as R (on the Application of T) v Ministry of Justice [2018] EWHC 2615 (Admin), lost at its…
Exclusive Interview with Andi Reiss, Film Director, and personal friend of Omid
MDMD's Campaigns and Communications Manager, Keiron McCabe, spoke exclusively with “Endgame” director Andi Reiss about Omid’s journey. Andi was present at Omid's medically assisted suicide in Switzerland.
Omid Ends his life at Lifecircle in Switzerland
On October 4th 2018, assisted dying campaigner, Omid T chose to end his life by a medically assisted suicide at Lifecircle near Basle, Switzerland. Although Omid was still awaiting the…
Economist Essay Series on Assisted Dying
The Economist is publishing a series of essays by those involved in the Assisted Dying debate. We are delighted that one of the invited authors is Dr. Michael Irwin, MDMD's…
Supreme court decision on withholding food and drink in PVS cases
The BBC report on the ruling by the Supreme Court that legal permission will no longer be required to end care for patients in a long-term permanent vegetative state. The…
Scottish Parliament removes time limit in definition of “terminally ill”
MDMD are delighted to learn that the Scottish parliament has removed any time limit from its definition of "terminally ill" in their Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. The story was…
Eamonn Holmes wants an assisted death in Switzerland if he has dementia – but he shouldn’t rely on others.
Breakfast TV News presenter Eamonn Holmes has been widely quoted in the media for openly saying that he would prefer a medically assisted death if he developed dementia. A Sun…
Dr David Goodall (104) travels from Australia for a Good Death in Switzerland
There has been much reporting of the death of 104 year old Dr David Goodall, who ended his life at Lifecircle in Switzerland on 10th May 2018. The BBC include…
Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on End of Life Choices meeting
MDMD Associate Coordinator Colin Brewer represented MDMD at the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on End of Life Choices. Here is his report...
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…
