Will legalising assisted dying create a “slippery slope”?
Research published in the Journal of Medical Ethics in 2007 found absolutely no evidence of a slippery slope in the Netherlands or Oregon. The current UK law does not protect the vulnerable. Evidence shows us that assisted dying is already taking place in the UK without any safeguards at all. Assisted dying is being carried out by doctors and relatives, even without evidence that the assisted death was in line with the individuals’ wishes. It would be far better to regulate assisted dying with safeguards to ensure it was the person’s own choice. Safeguards would protect the vulnerable but allow people like Debbie Purdy the choice of a dignified death. The Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill would have applied to mentally competent, terminally ill people only – not people who are elderly, disabled, not mentally competent, or under the age of 18.
