UK National News - Patients have asked me to help them die, say one in three doctors

21 October 2004

Patients have asked me to help them die, say one in three doctors

The enormous strain doctors are placed under at work has been revealed by a new survey which found one in three professionals have been asked by a patient for help to die.

The Medix UK survey of 1,000 doctors, carried on behalf of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES), also showed that doctors were nearly three to one in favour of regulation with safeguards for medically assisted dying than they are in favour of its continued criminalisation (56% against 21%).

The survey also found that 45% of doctors believe their colleagues are risking life imprisonment by helping terminally ill patients to die.

Deborah Annetts, VES Chief Executive, said: “Doctors are faced with the awful choice of either respecting the wishes of their terminally ill patients and helping them to die in the full knowledge that they could be prosecuted and face imprisonment, or abandoning their patient to yet more suffering at the end of life.

“It is time that we were open and honest about the need for the option of medically assisted dying at the end of life within proper safeguards. Only in this way will patients and doctors no longer be victims of this outdated and inhumane law.”

Commenting on the survey, Chairman of the BMA's Ethics Committee, Dr Michael Wilks, reiterated the association's opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide "because this is the view of the majority of its members".

He added: "VES' own survey results also demonstrate that doctors are opposed to euthanasia. When respondents were asked under what circumstances they thought the law should permit voluntary euthanasia, 53% answered 'under no circumstances' – a clear majority.

"Physician-assisted suicide has been debated many times at the BMA's annual meetings and on every occasion the membership has decided against calling for a change in the law.

"Far from being in a 'muddle' the BMA is confident that it is projecting the majority viewpoint of doctors."

(gmcg/mb)