That this House notes the contents of EDM 2749; expresses its condolences to the family of motor neurone disease sufferer, Paul Bennett; regrets the manner in which his assisted suicide in Switzerland was politicised and publicised by the euthanasia lobby; further regrets the exploitation of Mr Bennett's family who were led to believe they could face 14 years imprisonment for travelling with him to Switzerland; further notes that of 54 Britons travelling to Switzerland for assisted suicide, in not one case any action has been taken against those accompanying them; further notes that such cases are legally very complex since it is difficult to say to what extent it would breach the law to act as travelling companions in such circumstances or what public benefit it would serve for the Director of Public Prosecutions to take action; recalls that the legislation of assisted suicide is opposed by national bodies representing the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu communities as well as atheists and Christians; further notes that the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland and the Royal College of Nursing all maintain policies opposing euthanasia; calls on the Home Office to inform Parliament how the police learned of the action of Mr Bennett and his family and on what grounds they were investigated; and calls on the Government to maintain the law opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

That this House notes the contents of EDM 2749; expresses its condolences to the family of motor neurone disease sufferer, Paul Bennett; regrets the manner in which his assisted suicide in Switzerland was politicised and publicised by the euthanasia lobby; further regrets the exploitation of Mr Bennett's family who were...

That this House expresses its condolences to the family of motor neurone disease sufferer Paul Bennett, who died recently; notes that he chose to have an assisted suicide at Dignitas in Switzerland; regrets that Mr Bennett's relatives were subjected to police investigations and risked 14 years imprisonment under the Suicide Act 1961 for respecting his wishes and being present when he died; welcomes the Director of Public Prosecutions' recent decision that it is not in the `public interest' to prosecute his relatives; notes that 54 Britons have died at Dignitas and no prosecutions have followed, suggesting that the police and prosecution authorities do not see the current law as effectively serving the public interest; recognises the finding of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill that even excellent palliative care will not prevent some terminally ill people from suffering and wishing to receive help to die; believes it would be safer for terminally ill people who wish to receive help to die, and for vulnerable people who are put at risk under current British law, to change UK law in accordance with the provisions of the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill; regrets attempts by the minority who oppose changing the law to stifle all debate on this important subject; and hopes that there will be more debate of this issue by Parliament in the future.

That this House expresses its condolences to the family of motor neurone disease sufferer Paul Bennett, who died recently; notes that he chose to have an assisted suicide at Dignitas in Switzerland; regrets that Mr Bennett's relatives were subjected to police investigations and risked 14 years imprisonment under the Suicide...

That this House welcomes the motion passed overwhelmingly by the British Medical Association's (BMA) 2006 Conference opposing the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide; notes that this overturned the motion of neutrality passed at the end of last year's conference; further notes that this opposition to euthanasia is supported by national bodies representing the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu communities as well as atheists and Christians; further notes that the World Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons who treat some of the most distressing forms of cancer, and the Royal College of Nursing all maintain policies opposing euthanasia; further notes that this vote thereby brings the BMA back into line with the views of grassroots doctors in the UK and with the international medical community; further notes doctors' observations that persistent requests for assisted dying are extremely rare when good palliative care is available; further notes doctors' concerns that a right to die could easily become a duty to die; and calls on the Government to withstand any further attempts to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide and to ensure that high quality palliative care is available to all who need it.

That this House welcomes the motion passed overwhelmingly by the British Medical Association's (BMA) 2006 Conference opposing the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide; notes that this overturned the motion of neutrality passed at the end of last year's conference; further notes that this opposition to euthanasia is supported by...

That this House is saddened by the death of the terminally ill doctor Anne Turner who chose to travel to Switzerland to receive assistance to die; hopes that her son and daughters who accompanied her are treated with compassion and sensitivity by the authorities on their return to the UK; is concerned that this is the 42nd case of its kind in the past three years and yet the Director of Public Prosecutions still refuses to publish guidance as to whether family members who accompany their relatives overseas for an assisted death are breaking the law; notes that recent research by Clive Seale from Brunel University has uncovered that, on average, there are eight illegal assisted deaths performed by doctors in the UK every day; and believes this sensitive issue should be further discussed in this House.

That this House is saddened by the death of the terminally ill doctor Anne Turner who chose to travel to Switzerland to receive assistance to die; hopes that her son and daughters who accompanied her are treated with compassion and sensitivity by the authorities on their return to the UK;...

That this House congratulates Professor Clive Seale and his team at the School of Social Sciences and Law, Brunel University, on the survey among doctors on End of Life Decisions; notes it is the first in-depth study of its kind in the United Kingdom; further notes that according to the survey, only 2.6 per cent. of doctors favour a change in the law relating to euthanasia and physician assisted suicide; further notes this is in stark contrast to the discredited claims by the Voluntary Euthanasia Society stating that around 50 per cent. of doctors in the United Kingdom wish to change the law to allow euthanasia; further notes that less than 0.5 per cent. of deaths in 2004 resulted from euthanasia but that this nonetheless amounts to 3,000 per annum; further notes that a further 30.5 per cent. of deaths were due to withdrawing or withholding treatment; recognises that in the majority of cases the decision taken would be due to the futility of the treatment concerned or because it would be too onerous for the patient; nonetheless calls on the Government to carry out further inquiries into what the British Medical Association has complained of as a tiny minority of doctors acting illegally in deliberately ending a patient's life; and further calls on the Government to check on patients' lives being deliberately ended through the withdrawal of treatment and to circulate guidance to hospitals to make it clear that this is in breach of the law on homicide.

That this House congratulates Professor Clive Seale and his team at the School of Social Sciences and Law, Brunel University, on the survey among doctors on End of Life Decisions; notes it is the first in-depth study of its kind in the United Kingdom; further notes that according to the...

That this House notes the biased coverage given by the BBC on 10th October to Lord Joffe, who announced his intention to re-introduce a Bill to legalise physician-assisted suicide; notes Lord Joffe's persistent claim that his Bill will follow the Oregon legislation, which he cites as excellent; further notes, however, that no other state in America has followed the example of Oregon and that 12 states have rejected similar legislation, citing in debates the deleterious effects experienced there; regrets that there was nobody on the programme to raise and clarify such points; further notes that Five Live on the same day interviewed a member of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society who has multiple sclerosis and called for physician-assisted suicide with nobody to give the alternative view; further notes the BBC's failure to take account of the Disability Rights Commission, which takes no moral stand on euthanasia, but is opposed to any such legislation because of the effects on the rights of people with disability, and that every disability rights group in the UK holds the same position; recalls that in 2003 and 2004 honourable Members objected repeatedly to the manner in which the BBC contravened its Charter by persistently supporting the campaign to legalise euthanasia and received no satisfaction regarding protests against the failure of the BBC to interview the disabled or terminally ill unless they declared support for euthanasia; and calls on the Solicitor General to require the BBC to abide by its Charter and to show impartiality on all issues of public policy.

That this House notes the biased coverage given by the BBC on 10th October to Lord Joffe, who announced his intention to re-introduce a Bill to legalise physician-assisted suicide; notes Lord Joffe's persistent claim that his Bill will follow the Oregon legislation, which he cites as excellent; further notes, however,...