Pro-lifers Applaud British Nurses’ Stand against Euthanasia

The heated debate on euthanasia in Britain has been reignited by the annual Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress held earlier this week. As all nurse leaders across the UK reaffirmed the College’s stern opposition to euthanasia, pro-life organisations have gathered strength from these professionals to step up their protest against such legislation.

Earlier this month, a House of Lords select committee called for a parliamentary debate on legalising assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia based on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill proposed by Lord Joffe.

According to the Bill, a competent adult who is suffering unbearably as a result of a terminal illness will be enabled to receive medical assistance to die at his own considered and persistent request; and to make provision for a person suffering from a terminal illness to receive pain relief medication, so-called "assisted suicide" or "voluntary euthanasia".

The Christian social concern charity CARE, sponsored a fringe meeting with the theme "Nursing and Voluntary Euthanasia: Can They Go Together?" at the RCN Congress on Tuesday.

120 medical professional leaders attended the meeting. In response to the theme of the forum, British nurses insisted that the two cannot be compromised with each other.

Tuesday’s conference heard some arguments from some nurses in favour of terminally-ill patients having the right to decide when and how to end their lives. The RCN finally concluded that it would not change the policy to oppose euthanasia after an earlier poll found that 70 percent of British nurses did not back assisted dying.

Dr Andrew Fergusson, policy consultant for the Centre for Bioethics and Public Policy (CBPP) gave real evidence of the case in Netherlands to explain why most nurses oppose euthanasia, "There is a slippery slope of logic and practice. The Remmelink Report analysed all 129,000 deaths in the Netherlands in 1990; three percent were euthanasia and one percent of all deaths in the Netherlands were euthanasia 'without explicit request'."

The Netherlands and Belgium are the only countries in Europe that has legalised euthanasia so far.

The pro-life charity LIFE has echoed the similar concern over the abuse of euthanasia. In the Netherlands and Belgium where euthanasia was first legalised for adults, a growing number of "infant euthanasia" has been performed illegally by the doctors.

Martin Foley, LIFE's chief executive, said, "Exactly the same phenomenon would be witnessed here in the UK if euthanasia were legalised...LIFE urges politicians, nurses and doctors to reject calls for the legalisation of euthanasia. To die with dignity we do not need doctors to kill us."

Apart from the decline in bioethics, pro-lifers are concerned that better palliative care instead of the choice of euthanasia should be provided to enable terminally-ill patients to die with dignity. Many are also worried that legalising euthanasia could distract medical professionals from their main commission.

Maura Buchanan, deputy president of the RCN, said, "Our patients do not want nurses and doctors to be skilled in delivering lethal injections, but to be skilled in delivering patient care."

"We are entirely opposed to any change in the law."

RCN insisted that nurses provide 80 percent of patient care and are the closest professionals to patients towards the end of their lives.

Suzanne McBean, of the RCN's education forum, said, "As a Christian, I believe that the time of our conception and the time of our death are decided by God."

The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF), the UK’s largest association of Christian doctors has applauded the continuing opposition to euthanasia of the RCN. CMF General Secretary Peter Saunders said in a press release, "The country’s nurses have spoken clearly and courageously on behalf of their patients and their profession. We do not need a change in the law in this country to allow either euthanasia or assisted suicide."

Saunders continued, "Of all health professionals, nurses are those who spend the most concentrated time with patients and they understand better than anyone that the vast majority of calls for euthanasia are really calls for good medical care. Requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide are extremely rare when a patient’s physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs are properly met. Our priority must therefore be to make the best possible whole person care more widely available."

"In a recent major poll conducted by doctors.net, a cybercomunity of over 113,000 UK doctors, 75% of doctors similarly affirmed that even if the law was changed they would not participate in euthanasia."

Saunders called for the government to listen to the voice of the professionals, "At a time when public opinion is wavering as a result of an emotive media campaign by the Voluntary Euthanasia Society and others, the government needs to listen to the wise counsel of healthcare professionals. We applaud UK Nurses for giving such a clear signal."

The current movements for the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill indicates an increasing liberal stance on euthanasia in the UK. In fact, pro-lifers have already warned of the terrifying slippery slopes when the British Parliament passed the Mental Capacity Bill on 5th April.

The Mental Capacity Bill does not allow euthanasia by definition but it allows mentally incapacitated patients who are terminally ill or dying to appoint a relative or friend to make future decisions on their behalf and will allow people with no-one to act for them to leave instructions regarding their future treatment. In critical circumstances, the law would mean "legalising euthanasia by neglect and assisted suicide for vulnerable adults"