Thursday 3 June 2010

New anti-euthanasia campaign launched in London today

A campaign was launched today in central London, pleading with MPs to resist pressures to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia.

The campaign was launched by Not Dead Yet, a group of disabled and terminally ill people whose concerns have been heightened by the current economic climate and calls from politicians from all parties for cuts in public services.

The group are asking MPs to sign a seven-point charter, which can be read on the campaign website. The key points of the charter are
  • a recognition that disabled and terminally ill people should have the same legal protection as everyone else.
  • a commitment to support disabled and terminally ill constituents to access the health, social and other services that they need.
  • a commitment to oppose any change to the current law, which would make assisted suicide legal in the UK.
The group's media briefeing points out that:
Not one organisation of, or for, disabled and terminally ill people has campaigned for any change to current legislation [ie to make assisted suicide legal]. This includes organisations that advocate on behalf of people with multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease; two disabling conditions that are often referred to when describing who would benefit most from a change in legislation.
Disabled people should be offered help, not encouraged to end their lives prematurely.

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