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Assisted Dying

My Lords, a minority say that vulnerable people would be at risk from a change in the law. In reality, vulnerable people need protection. As things stand, about 1,500 deaths each year are a result of doctors ending life without an explicit request to die from the patient. The most comprehensive research on assisted dying legislation and its impact on vulnerable people by Margaret Battin et al in 2007 examined data from Oregon and the Netherlands. They looked at vulnerable groups, including chronically ill and disabled people. They concluded that there is no evidence that vulnerable people are more likely to use assisted dying legislation, nor do they feel that they have a duty to die or that they are a burden. Yet these are the claims made by those against reform. Finally, surveys consistently show that a majority of groups that might be considered vulnerable, including elderly and disabled people, support a change in the law to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people. I would very much welcome an independent inquiry in this area. It would highlight the importance of legislation to protect vulnerable people.