New Report Reignites Euthanasia Debate

A new report which has revealed that doctors broke the law to help nearly 3,000 patients die in one year has reignited the euthanasia debate.

|TOP|A new independent report found that the deaths of an estimated one in three people of the 192,000 people who died in 2004 had been accelerated by doctors who administered pain relief, reports The Scotsman.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has rejected the claims by Professor Clive Seale, of Brunel University, saying it believed there were only a handful of euthanasia cases in which British doctors had been involved.

The report has given fresh hope to many euthanasia campaigners who claim it proves the need for a change in legislation in order to properly regulate the practice.

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES), called for greater regulation to protect patients from those doctors who “clearly act without consent”.

The results of an anonymous survey of 857 GPs and hospital specialists by Professor Seale suggest that 0.16 per cent, or 936, of the 585, 000 deaths in 2004 would be described by doctors as voluntary euthanasia, in cases where medics had agreed to a patient’s request for drugs to end their life.

|AD|A further 0.33 per cent, or 1,929, deaths would be described as “ending life without an explicit request from the patient”, known as non-voluntary euthanasia. In this case the patient expresses the desire for euthanasia but is unable to give specific instructions to doctors before a serious deterioration in their condition.

According to Professor Seale, his results suggest that almost exactly one third of all deaths - or 191, 000 – had been accelerated by doctors using pain relief, a practice known medically as the “alleviation of symptoms with possibly life shortening effect”.

In his survey, Professor Seale found no cases of doctor-assisted suicide, in which drugs are given to the patient for them to use to end their own lives.

The 2,865 deaths allegedly resulting from voluntary of involuntary euthanasia, however, remain illegal under British law.

“The illegal decisions are extremely rare compared with other countries. Three thousand sounds like a lot, but it's not. The rate in the UK is significantly lower than in other countries where this survey has been conducted," said Prof Seale, who assured his figures were an accurate reflection of the situation.

Dr Georgie Fernie, a Scottish council member of the BMA, reacted with caution to the professor’s findings, stressing the distinction between euthanasia and giving high doses of painkillers to a patient who is suffering.

"I doubt eight patients a day are being deliberately killed by their doctors. I don't believe that's happening," he said.

Morag Mylne, convener of the Church of Scotland’s church and society council, upheld the Kirk’s position against legalising euthanasia or liberalising the law, adding her own suspicion towards the figures.

I find it difficult to conceive of eight doctors a day who would be opening themselves up to prosecution," she said. "One would obviously have to know all of the facts of each case before you could say they should be prosecuted."