DIGNITY IN DYING

10 March 2010

Labour MP David Kidney has been asked his views on assisted death by the organisation Dignity in Dying. The organisation is seeking the views of candidates ahead of the forthcoming election.

There are three questions:

1. Do you support increased funding for good quality, patient centred care at the end of life?
2. Do you support the right of mentally competent adults, in advance, to refuse life sustaining medical treatment?
3. Will you support a change in the law to give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the choice of an assisted death provided it includes strict safeguards?

David says:

“In short my answers are 1) Yes, 2) yes and 3) no. Let me explain. We have the capability to provide excellent care for people at the end of their life both at home and in hospices. The services needed to provide these services, including district nurses, Macmillan nurses and hospices should certainly be properly funded by the state.

“I supported the change in the law in 2005 that allows adults to give instructions in advance to doctors about the refusal of treatment, even if it is life-saving treatment. To me, this is fundamentally a matter of the rights of individuals and we are entitled to refuse medical treatment if we want.

“I remain extremely nervous about the implications of allowing people to help others to die, especially if the help is envisaged to be from doctors. As a society, we should never view those who are in need of a lot of care and attention as a burden, and worse we mustn’t end up in a situation where sick people are made to feel as though they are a burden. So while I am supportive of the fullest possible attention to improving care for those who are dying, including palliative care, I draw the line at allowing a third party to take an active role in assisting a patient to die.

“Where the patient wishes to commit suicide, this is no longer an offence in our country. I am supportive of the recently-improved guidance given by the Director of Public Prosecutions which will hopefully prevent the prosecution of relatives and friends who participate in the suicide of their loved ones without in any way taking the lead in deciding their loved one should die.”