As you know, we support a culture of living, not dying. We know from Belgium and the Netherlands that making euthanasia legal is the start of a slippery slope that leads to thousands of elderly and disabled people being killed without their – or their families’ consent. Their doctors had taken a moral judgement as to the quality of their lives.
We must stop this happening here. Below is an email from the Care Not Killing Campaign, which speaks for itself. I hope you’ll respond to it!
In the first half of 2015, our efforts were entirely taken up with Patrick Harvie’s bill before the Scottish Parliament. MSPs rejected the Bill by 82-36 – a resounding victory – following Care Not Killing’s campaign which included co-ordinated letter-writing, a 15,000-strong petition, the commissioning of polls and the submission of written and oral evidence.
Now, we turn to Westminster, where Lord Falconer’s revived bill has failed to secure time in the House of Lords but Labour backbencher Rob Marris MP has introduced a Private Member’s Bill ‘substantially the same’ as Lord Falconer’s. The Assisted Dying (No. 2) Bill received its first reading this week, and debate on the principle of the Bill takes place 11 weeks from today (11 September). However, MPs rise for the summer recess on 21 July, and they need to hear your views – preferably in person – as soon as possible.
Visit www.carenotkilling.org.uk/Bill2015 to access guidance on engaging with your MP (noting especially the three key ways of doing so) and do please share this initiative with others. We will continue to add content concerning the Marris Bill at our website.
When making contact with your MP, please also encourage them to attend the lobby day in Parliament being hosted by Glyn Davies MP on Tuesday 14 July (1-3pm in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House). If you have personal experience of terminal/chronic illness or disability, whether your own or as a carer/healthcare professional, do please consider attending. For more details, contact Luke ([email protected]), who is working with a number of MPs and organisations to co-ordinate the day.
This bill is among the most serious threats faced in our ten year history; another is our greatly diminished resources. CNK has always been a small organisation with a disproportionate effectiveness, and we know that is down to your support – but now, more than ever, we desperately need your donations to allow us to fight on alongside you.
Please visit www.carenotkilling.org.uk/donate today, and please, share this link with friends.
