Assisted dying

Cheery topic for today's post.

Went to a UCL debate last night on assisted dying.

Most of the original panel couldn't make it becasue they were at a debate on the same issue in the Lords - somewhat unfortunate timetabling. But the attending panel made their statements clearly and in a surprisingly unemotional manner. It was also interesting to hear Debbie Purdy's point of view from the audience.

The clearest point for me came from Sir Ken Macdonald QC, former Director of Public Prosecutions, who said that nobody has been prosecuted for helping someone commit suicide (e.g. by taking them to a clinic in Switzerland, Holland or Oregon) because it is not deemed to be in the public interest. What is the point of a law that is never exercised?

An amusing aside from Dr Evan Harris MP. Trained as a doctor, he's now a Lib Dem MP. His campagning on the pro-choice side of the abortion issue led the Daily Mail to dub him "Dr Death". Apparently his Jewish mother didn't know what to make of this. One the one hand she was dismayed and upset. On the other hand, dissapointed that he had left medicine for politics, the article at least provided concrete proof to show her friends that her son was really and truly a doctor.

Oh, and here's an article from Charlie Falconer about the amendment that is currently being debated in the Lords (see above).