United Kingdom

“We’re told we are a burden. No wonder disabled people fear assisted suicide”
(The Guardian — June 1, 2018)
Society’s priority should be to assist us to live, not to die.  Provide a free social care system funded by progressive taxation that allows us to be productive, active community members.  Increase NHS funding. Cur waiting lists — there are currently 4 million people awaiting treatment.  Fund wheelchairs and assistive technology.  Root out disableism that leads two-thirds of people with disabilities to think that we’re a burden on society.  Only then can you come back to me and tell me that assisted suicide is no risk to disabled people.
More on Disability Perspective

“Hospitals Pulling the Plug against Families’ Wishes”
(Townhall — April 25, 2018)
Who decides whether  your sick child lives or dies?
Alfie [Evans] isn’t  the first child sentenced to die by a British hospital…
Can it happen in the U.S.?  You bet.  It depends on what state you live in.
More on Futile Care

“I am now existing beyond my sell-by date”
(Daily Mail — July 10, 2017)
British doctor Michael Irwin, 86, is planning his death although he does not have a terminal illness…The former UN medical director has been a longtime advocate for euthanasia and assisted suicide who, in 2009, established the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide.

“Charlie Gard evidence not new, hospital claims”
(BBC — July 10, 2017)
A lawyer for Great Osmond Street Hospital (GOSH) has dismissed claims of “fresh” medical evidence in the case of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard…Lawyers representing the family have now said using “cutting edge genetic science” there was a “small chance” of brain recovery and that it was a chance “worth taking”….
GOSH describes proposed experimental therapies as “unjustified” and said the treatments being offered are not a cure.

“Charlie Gard case explained”
(BBC — July 10, 2017)
Doctors have asked the High Court to hear new evidence in the case of terminally ill Charlie Gard…Prof. Julian Savulescu, an independent ethics expert at the University of Oxford, said, “More than six months have passed since experimental therapy was first considered.  We don’t know how bad Charlie’s brain damage is now.  Whether experimental therapy is still warranted depends on whether there remains any prospect of any meaningful life.” (Emphasis added.)

“Editorial: The life of Charlie Gard”
(Chicago Tribune — July 6, 2017)
Charlie’s parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, are fighting to bring their son to the U.S. for experimental treatment…But Charlie’s doctors, and the British courts, won’t let him go…You may find the British authorities outrageously heartless or merely humane…Either way you may ask: Why does the British government have such wide authority over Charlie’s treatment?  One big reason: Because the government funds a single payer health system, picking up medical costs for British citizens.

“Renowned Neurosurgeon on Assisted Dying and His ‘Suicide Kit'”
(Medscape — April 27, 2017)
British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh favors euthanasia and assisted suicide.  He calls arguments against the practices grotesque.
“They argue that grannies will be made to commit suicide,” he said.  “Even if a few grannies get bullied into it, isn’t that the price worth paying for all the people who could die with dignity?”

“British doctors reject neutrality on assisted dying”
(BioEdge — June 25, 2016)
A proposal for the British Medical Association (BMA) to adopt a neutral stance on assisted suicide and euthanasia failed by a huge margin (63% to 37%) on June 21.  That marked the eighth time 1n 13 years that the BMA had debated the issue.
Disability rights activists hailed the vote:
“Relief after doctors maintain strong opposition to assisted suicide.”
More on Disability Perspective

“NHS blamed as third of Britons die needlessly”
(Daily Mail — June 4, 2016)
Damning report says there are 60,000 avoidable deaths every year as UK racks up worse record than Slovenia.

“Assisted Dying Bill: MPs overwhelmingly REJECT ‘right to die'”
(Express — United Kingdom — September 11, 2015)
Members of Parliament voted three to one against giving a second reading to the Assisted Dying Bill, which would allow terminally ill patients to be supplied with a lethal dose of drugs.  It was the first vote on the controversial issue in almost 20 years.

“We must end our industrialised approach to death and show compassion”
(Mail Online — July 28, 2015)
Comes as experts say they still see dehydrated patients on hospital wards.  Food and drink had been withdrawn from dying people to speed up death.

“Strasbourg rejects right to die cases”
(UK Human Rights Blog — July 20, 2015)
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the applications to the ECtHR in Nicklinson and Lamb v UK, cases concerning assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia, are inadmissible.
Text of opinion

“‘Death test’ could predict chance of dying within 30 days”
(Telegraph — January 23, 2015)
A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to give them the chance to go home or say goodbye to loved ones….The screening test looks at 29 indicators of health, including age, frailty, illness, mental impairment, previous emergency admissions and heart rate and produces a percentage chance of death within one month and 12 weeks…The checklist is yet to be tested but the researchers hope it will eventually be used for all hospital admissions.

“An eloquent defense of euthanasia by organ removal”
(BioEdge — December 6, 2014)
In an article in this month’s edition of Bioethics, Oxford bioethicists Julian Savulescu and Dominic Wilkinson present a rational defense of what they label “organ donation euthanasia.” The practice, as they describe in the article, involves the steady removal of a patients’ organs after they have been put under anaesthetic.  “Death.” the authors write, “follows the removal of the heart.”
More on Organ Transplantation

“Elderly should be given euthanasia ‘rewards,’ say one in 10 Britons”
(The Telegraph — November 6, 2014)
One in 10 British people believe elderly people should be offered a “reward” if they opt for assisted suicide, new polling suggests….The poll found that men are more than twice as likely as women to agree with rewarding assisted suicide and support rises to 14 percent, or one in seven, among people aged between their mid-30s and mid-40s.

“British right-to-die campaigner starves herself to death”
(Bioedge — October 25, 2014)
Jean Davies, 86, died after she stopped taking food and water. She did not have a terminal illness.  In an interview with the Sunday Times, she described the process.  “It is hell,” she said.  Her daughter was asked why her mother persevered in carrying out her death.  “I think it occurred to her after she started her course of action that it was something which could attract attention,” she said.  “She sought publicity after her decision.”
More on VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking)

“We must protect our children’s lives”
(The Scotsman — July 31, 2014)
Children’s charities in Scotland support proposals that would permit children to request assisted suicide.

“Ll0yd-Webber: I wanted to join Dignitas and die”
(Telegraph — July 17, 2014)
Lord [Andrew] Lloyd-Webber says he considered joining suicide clinic but is now opposed to assisted dying as former attorney general warns change in the law could lead to a “form of legalised execution.”

“Disabled people like me need help to live, not die”
(The Guardian — July 16, 2014)
I am terrified by Lord Falconer’s assisted dying bill — and so are the doctors who would have to act as suicide judges.

“Almost 100 elderly patients ‘put to sleep'”…
(Mail Online — July 11, 2014)
Almost 100 elderly patients “put to sleep” at one hospital by doctors who “almost certainly” shortened their lives by routinely dosing them up with opiates.”

“Assisted suicides may be filmed as safeguard”
(The Scotsman — July 11, 2014)
A new bill that would allow legally assisted suicide in Scotland will be launched at Holyrood today by the Independent MSP Margo MacDonald,
The Lothians MSP has set out key changes to her proposed shake-up in Scotland’s suicide laws, which would see government ministers licensing individuals to collect medicine for sick friends and to stay with the patient until they had used the drugs prescribed by a GP to end their life.

“Don’t make our mistake: As assisted suicide bill goes to Lords, Dutch watchdog who once backed euthanasia warns UK of ‘slippery slope’ to mass deaths”
(Mail Online — July 9, 2014)
Professor Boer admitted he was “wrong — terribly wrong, in fact” to have believed regulated euthanasia world wok.
“I used to be a supporter of the Dutch law. But now, with 12 years of experience, I take a very different view.”

United Kingdom: “Right to die: Supreme Court rules against assisted suicide”
(Independent — June 25. 2014)
A paralyzed former builder — and the widow of a man who had locked in syndrome — today lost a right-to-die fight in the UK’s highest court….Mr. Lamb and Mrs. Nicklinson, whose husband Tony died nearly two years ago, wanted the court to rule that disabled people should have the right to be helped to die with dignity.  (emphasis added)
Richard Hawkes, of disability charity Scope, said: Many disabled people will be reassured by this ruling….It sends a powerful message countering the view that if you’re disabled it’s not worth being alive, and that you’re a burden.  It’s a view that is all too common.”

“Disabled peer: Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide plans’ send shiver down my spine'”
Baroness Campbell argues that despite safeguards, Lord Falconer’s “assisted dying” plans leave her feeling like she is already “on the list.”
The final report of Lord Falconer’s Commission on Assisted Dying on which the bill is based, remarks: “We have taken on board the strong concerns expressed by many disabled people and do not consider that it would be acceptable to society at this point in time to recommend that a non-terminally ill person with significant physical impairments should be made eligible under any future legislation to request assistance in ending his or her life.” (emphasis added)

……………………………

United Kingdom: “Right to die: Supreme Court rules against assisted suicide”
(Independent — June 25. 2014)
A paralyzed former builder — and the widow of a man who had locked in syndrome — today lost a right-to-die fight in the UK’s highest court….Mr. Lamb and Mrs. Nicklinson, whose husband Tony died nearly two years ago, wanted the court to rule that disabled people should have the right to be helped to die with dignity.  (emphasis added)
Richard Hawkes, of disability charity Scope, said: Many disabled people will be reassured by this ruling….It sends a powerful message countering the view that if you’re disabled it’s not worth being alive, and that you’re a burden.  It’s a view that is all too common.”

“Charities ask MSPs to consider children in suicide bill”
(The Sunday Times — June 15, 2014)
A group of children’s charities has asked MSPs to consider giving terminally ill youngsters the legal right to assisted suicide.

“Concern in UK over new medical experimentation bill”
(BioEdge — May 6, 2014)
Experts are seriously alarmed at a new clinical experimentation bill due to go before the UK parliament.  The Medical Innovation Bill, otherwise known as the “Saatchi Bill,” is intended to allow doctors greater freedom to experiment on dying patients.

“Thousands die of thirst and poor care in NHS”
(Telegraph — UK — April 22, 2014)
[T]he NHS watchdog NICE was forced to issue guidelines on giving patients water after it found that 42,000 deaths a year could be avoided if staff ensured the sick were hydrated.

“Teacher died at Dignitas because she couldn’t bear modern life”
(Daily Mail — April 7, 2014)
The 89-year-old, from Sussex, said she couldn’t keep up with modern life.  She claimed new technology had ruined face-to-face human relationships.  She was neither terminally ill nor disabled, but ended life at Swiss Clinic.

“Disabled peer: Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide plans ‘send shiver down my spine'”
(Telegraph — March 24, 2014)
Baroness Campbell argues that despite safeguards, Lord Falconer’s “assisted dying” plans leave her feeling like she is already “on the list.”

“Scotland’s assisted suicide bill is an offence to our human dignity”
(The Guardian — February 1, 2014)
Margo MacDonald’s campaign to establish a culture of death in Scotland is growing increasingly bizarre and more chilling.

ALISON DAVIS 1955-2013
At 8:50am on December 3, 2013, Alison Davis died at her home in the UK.  She was the National Coordinator of No Less Human, an organization that promotes greater understanding of the needs of disabled people and educates the public about threats to disabled individuals’ lives.  In mid 2012 she wrote an article, “A personal message to the citizens of Massachusetts: My journey from death to life,” as the state was considering legalization of doctor-prescribed suicide.
From her  article:
My life has been full of pain and suffering, true. But it has also been one long adventure, with great highs and great lows. I think my eventual death will also be an adventure — but, for now, I’m content to wait for that particular adventure to come naturally, in its own time.

“More than a thousand care home residents die thirsty”
(Telegraph — December 1, 2013)|
Elderly and vulnerable patients were left without enough water despite being under the supervision of trained staff in homes in England and Wales.
More on Food and Fluids

“Scot Bill Creates ‘Suicide Facilitator’ Profession”
(National Review Online — November 17, 2013)
The new assisted suicide legalization bill in Scotland would permit children as young as 16 to become suicide “facilitators.”
Text of bill. (See pp. 8-9 for facilitator licensing)

“Leading parliamentary think tank says Lord Falconer ‘s ‘Assisted Suicide Dying’ Bill fails public safety test”
(July 8, 2013)
Living and dying Well (LDW, a public policy organisation has issued a report, jointly authored by eleven members of the House of Lords.  The authors include leading lawyers, doctors and disabled peoples’ advocates including Baroness Butler Sloss, Lord Carlile, Baroness Finlay and Baroness Campbell.

“Euthanasia option plan for teenagers”
(Herald Scotland — March 21, 2013)
Patients as young as 18 will be able to register their wish for assisted suicide with their GP under the bill independent MSP Margo MacDonald is bringing to the Scottish Parliament.  Ms. MacDonald said she wanted people to be able to notify their doctor of their wishes in the event of a terminal or irreversible illness and have it kept on record.

“Draft Assisted Dying Bill is an ‘important step towards a compassionate law on assisted dying'”
(British Humanist Association — July 4, 2012)
“… [T]here are good ethical reasons not to limit legal assisted dying only to terminally ill people….”

British Medical Association and British Medical Journal take opposing views

“Oppose assisted dying, says BMA”
(BBC News — June 27, 2012)
Doctors have reiterated their opposition to assisted dying at their annual conference.

“‘Stop opposing assisted dying’- BMJ
(BBC News — June 13, 2012)
The British Medical Journal has called on doctors’ organizations to stop opposing assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.

Articles

“Thousands die of thirst and poor care in NHS”
(Telegraph — UK — April 22, 2014)
[T]he NHS watchdog NICE was forced to issue guidelines on giving patients water after it found that 42,000 deaths a year could be avoided if staff ensured the sick were hydrated.

“Scot Bill Creates ‘Suicide Facilitator’ Profession”
(National Review Online — November 17, 2013)
The new assisted suicide legalization bill in Scotland would permit children as young as 16 to become suicide “facilitators.”
Text of bill. (See pp. 8-9 for facilitator licensing)

“Lord Falconer’s right to die bill a ‘blank cheque’ for suicide, says Baroness Butler-Sloss”
(Telegraph — November 5, 2013)
An attempt by Lord Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor, to relax the ban on assisted suicide would amount to asking Parliament to write a “blank cheque” for euthanasia, according to three of Britain’s most senior legal authorities.

“Girl smuggled into Britain to have her ‘organs harvested'”
(Telegraph — October 18, 2013)
The unnamed girl was brought to the UK from Somalia with the intention of removing her organs and selling them on to those desperate for a transplant.

“Disappointment of paralysed man as he loses his right-to-die plea”
(Mail Online — July 31, 3013)
Paul Lamb, 57, a former builder, was paralysed in a crash 23 years ago.  He has been told by the Court of Appeal that doctors cannot help him take his own life.

“Labour’s day of shame over the NHS”
(Mail Online — July 16, 2013)
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told MPs that thousands died needlessly at 14 hospitals because of dreadful care…Patients wre betrayed because NHS management refused to learn from mistakes and covered up failings…Hunt said the review had found the NHS’s reputation mattered more than individual patients and targets mattered more than people.
[Note: Dr. Donald Berwick who was President Obama’s 2010 recess appointee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has praised the NHS, stating, “I am romantic about the National Health Service. I love it….I would trade the UK’s NHS, warts and all…for my nation’s health care chaos any day.”]

“Hope at last on the pathway to death — but the NHS still has a hole where its heart should be”
(Mail Online — July 14, 2013)
According to advance reports, the Government will announce today the end of the deeply controversial Liverpool Pathway. The scheme became mired in bitter controversy after relatives and patients claimed that the LCP was being used to accelerate death, or even to kill patients who were not dying at all by starving and dehydrating them until they did, in fact, die.

“Care home boss: let people choose how to die”
(The Telegraph — July 9, 2013)
The documents should also encompass how, where and when a patient wants to die… This could eventually lead to clinics like Dignitas operating in Switzerland to end their life, Dr. Chai Patel said. Dr. Patel said the argument for the right to die should come strictly from an “ethical and human perspective” but acknowledged that it could also have a financial impact.

“Doctors warn Liverpool Care Pathway seen as ‘one-way ticket to death'”
(Telegraph — June 26, 2013)
Dr. Mark Pickering, a GP from Yorkshire, said: “NHS organisations have been financially incentivised to increase the percentages of dying patients, placed on the pathway and this risks a tick-box culture where clinicians feel that the job is done by simply getting the patient on the LCP — regardless of whether it’s appropriate.”

“‘First’ UK assisted suicide for dementia”
(BBC News — May 30, 2013)
The first reported case of a British person choosing to end their own life at a centre in Switzerland because they had dementia has taken place….Dr Peter Saunders said, “This case is hugely alarming and shows that if we were to change the law to allow assisted suicide in this country there would inevitably be further pressure for incremental extension to include dementia patients as is currently happening in the Netherlands.”

“‘Disabled children should be put down’: Corwall councillor Collin Brewer…”
(Independent — May 13, 2013)
Colin Brewer also claimed in an interview there were good arguments for killing some disabled babies with high support needs because of the cost of providing them with services.

“Valuing Everyone, Or Just the Workers?”
(Huffington Post — May 11, 2013)
Disabled children should be euthanised according to Cllr Colin Brewer. According to Baroness Warnock, disabled adults should be euthanasied. Cllr Brewer also spoke about the costs and burden of disabled people….Both Baroness Warnock and Cllr Brewer suggest that disabled people or their parents should consider euthanasia to relieve the cost and burden on families and on the state.

“Peers clash over right-to-die ‘spin'”
(The Telegraph — May 11, 2013)
“In law, as in the English language, if you take your own life, whatever your state of health, that is suicide; and a doctor, or anyone else, who supplies you with the means to do so is assisted suicide,” he [Lord Carlile] said.

“Colin Brewer: There is a good argument for killing some disabled babies”
(Disability News Service — May 10, 2013)
A councillor who won re-election despite having to apologise for suggesting disabled children should be “put down” to save money has told Disability News Service (DNS) he believes there is a good argument for killing some disabled babies.

“Half of families suffer in hospital”
(Source: Telegraph — May 10, 2013)
About half of Britons say they or their families have experienced poor care and neglect at the hands of the NHS, a new study has found.
[Note:  This is the same NHS that Dr. Donald Berwick, President Obama’s first nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, praised, saying, ” I am romantic about the National Health Service.  I love it.”]

“I want to be a burden on my family as I die, and for them to be a burden on me”
(The Guardian — May 9, 2013)
It’s called looking after each other.

“Poor NHS Care Drives Assisted Suicide Support”
(National Review — April 30, 2013)
Fears about standard care for terminally ill people in the NHS are fueling support for the legalisation of assisted suicide a study suggests. More than a third of those who said they support a change in the law cited a belief that dying people cannot expect to receive “decent” care at the end of their lives among their reasons.

“Euthanasia option plan for teenagers”
(Herald Scotland — March 21, 2013)
Patients as young as 18 will be able to register their wish for assisted suicide with their GP under the bill independent MSP Margo MacDonald is bringing to the Scottish Parliament.  Ms. MacDonald said she wanted people to be able to notify their doctor of their wishes in the event of a terminal or irreversible illness and have it kept on record.

“Hospital patient discharged at 3:30am without a coat in sub-zero temperatures is found ‘tearful, frozen and wandering the streets’ by police”
(Daily Mail — March 15, 2013)
Michael Atkinson, 64, was discharged by the Royal Bolton Hospital at 3:30 am. He was wearing a hospital wristband bearing the name of a two-year-old girl. At least two other similar cases have emerged recently at the same hospital.

“Retired Scottish doctor reveals he helped three pensioners to die”
(Guardian — March 13, 2013)
A retired Scottish doctor is facing a fresh police investigation after he admitted helping several pensioners to kill themselves because he agrees with assisted suicide….[Dr. Iain] Kerr, said he was going public about his role to support a second attempt by Margo MacDonald, the independent MSP, to introduce a bill in Holyrood to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.

“Donald Berwick Gets His Dream Job at NHS
(National Review — March 12, 2013)
The NHS is a disaster, squared — caused by socialized systems, rationing and centralized control….Donald Berwick, given a recess appointment by President Obama to head Medicare where he served for about two years, loves the NHS….And now, he gets to be part of it!

Prime Minister Cameron responds to Francis report
“What happened at The Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009 was not just wrong, it was truly dreadful. Hundreds of people suffered from the most appalling neglect and mistreatment.

“Stafford scandal: Jeremy Hunt calls for police inquiry into NHS”
(Telegraph — February 8, 2010)
Police should investigate the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of patients at the Mid Staffordshire NHS hospitals in the wake of the public inquiry ….The Health Secretary also says there needs to be a major change in culture across the NHS as compassion was being “crushed” out of doctors and nurses by the system.

“Assisted suicide: GMC signals doctors safe to provide medical records to Dignitas patients”
(Telegraph — February 1, 2013)
Doctors will be able to provide medical records to patients who want them to travel abroad for an assisted suicide without being struck off, new guidelines make clear for the first time.

“Woman loses assisted suicide ban appeal”
(Irish Times — January 10, 2013)
A severely disabled woman in the final stages of multiple sclerosis has lost her landmark High Court challenge to the absolute ban on assisted suicide. The three judge High Court ruled today that absolute ban is justified to protect vulnerable others from involuntary death and does not breach Marie Fleming’s personal autonomy and equality rights under the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights.
Read the Court’s ruling.

“Stafford Hospital: the scandal that shamed the NHS”
(Telegraph — January 6, 2013)
Desperate relatives told the inquiry, chaired by Robert Francis QC, how patients were left so dehydrated that some began drinking from flower vases….They could little imagine that in August 2005 in the hospital trust’s executive offices, a board led by Martin Yeates had decided to embark on cost-cutting plans as it attempted to secure “foundation trust” status.

“UKIP [United Kingdom Independence Party] suspends Down’s syndrome abortion call candidate”
Geoffrey Clark called for national debate to save health care costs including a review to look at medical treatment for those aged over 80, “which is disproportionately costly to the NHS” and might also include “legalising euthanasia and giving free euthanasia advice to all folk over 80.”
(BBC News — December 18, 2012)

“Way To Go: Assisted suicide gets comedy treatment”
Nothing quite says black humour like a sitcom about assisted suicide. Way To Go, about three blokes who go into a business to help terminally ill to die, will air on BBC3 in the new year.
(The Independent — December 12, 2012)

“UK Doctor Admits To Starving Babies To Death, Using ‘End-Of-Life’ Care”
(The Inquisitr — November 30, 2012)
Bernadette Lloyd, a hospice pediatric nurse, has written to the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health to criticize the use of death pathways for children. She wrote: “The parents feel coerced, at a very traumatic time, into agreeing that this is correct for their child whom they are told by doctors has only a few days to life. It is very difficult to predict death. I have seen a “reasonable” number of children recover after being taken off the pathway.  I have also seen children die in terrible thirst because fluids are withdrawn from them until they die.”

“Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor’s haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life-plan”
(Source: Mail Online — November 28, 2012)
Doctor admits starving and dehydrating ten babies to death in neonatal unit.
Until now, end of life regime, the Liverpool Care Pathway was thought to have involved only elderly and terminally-ill adults.

“Ministers order an inquiry into the care pathway payments the saw hospitals receive millions to implement controversial system
(Mail Online — November 27, 2012)
Ministers yesterday ordered an independent inquiry into why hospitals have been paid to hit targets for number of patients dying on the Liverpool Care Pathway… It commonly involves heavy sedation with morphine or similar drugs, and the removal of tubes providing nutrition and fluids.

“Ruling sought on assisted suicide”
(Irish Times — November 2, 2012)
A woman confined to a wheelchair and in the final stages of multiple sclerosis has asked the High Court to rule whether she has a constitutional right to be assisted in taking her own life…
Ms. Fleming’s partner and full-time carer, Tom Curran, previously said he was prepared to assist her in ending her life. Mr. Curran, an IT professional, is the coordinator of the Irish branch of Exit International….

“Hospitals bribed to put patients on pathway to death”
(Mail Online — October 25, 2012)
Cash incentive for NHS trusts that meet targets on Liverpool Care Pathway. Some hospitals set target of two thirds of all deaths should be on LCP. At least 30 million pounds in extra money handed to hospitals to achieve these goals. Critics warn financial incentives could influence the work of doctors.

“Doctors to act on Care Pathway”
(Mail Online — October 24, 2012)
After Mail campaign, investigation is launched into controversial guidelines on “hastening death.” Major review to be conducted by the Association for Palliative Medicine. Inquiry will “identify and explore concerns” over care for dying patients. Growing fears that the system is a way of speeding up death of terminally ill.  System involves withdrawal of food and fluids as well as medical treatment.

“Put 1 in 100 patients on death list, GP’s told”
(Mail Online — October 16, 2012)
GPs have been asked to select one in every 100 of their patients to go on a list of those likely to die over the next 12 months. The patients will be singled out for “end-of-life care,” Potentially saving the NHS more than 1 billion pounds a year.

“One woman’s lonely death on the NHS’s ‘care pathway’ to the grave”
(Mail Online — October 14, 2012)
MPs demand action after another patient is chose to die without doctors telling family. Olive Goom, 85, was put on the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, She died alone after doctors failed to tell relatives they were ending her life.

“MS sufferer killed herself after visit from ‘Dr. Death’ euthanasia website”
(Telegraph — October 12, 2012)
The family of a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis have slammed the “abhorrent” euthanasia website that helped her find a way to end her life.
An inquest heard that Mrs. Veasey’s health had been deteriorating, she had money worries and had been diagnosed with depression.  The court was told she had met with someone from pro-choice website Exit International six weeks before taking her own life with the drugs she bought online from China.

“Patients starve and die of thirst on hospital wards”
(Telegraph — October 6, 2012)
Forty-three hospital patients starved to death last year and 111 died of thirst while being treated on wards, new figures disclose today. The death toll was disclosed by the Government amid mounting concern over the dignity of patients on NHS wards. The records, from the Office for National Statistics, follow a series of scandals of care of the elderly….

“Now MLAs must act on helping loved ones to die with dignity”
(Belfast Telegraph — October 4, 2012)
A woman who helped her mother starve herself to death has called on Northern Ireland’s politicians to relax the laws on assisted suicide. The Lisburn life coach has sparked a fresh debate on the matter after bravely highlighting the story of how her mother suffered an agonisingly slow death by refusing food and water as the only legal way to end her own life following a motor neurone disease diagnosis.

“MSP brings back proposals to legalise assisted dying”
(BBC News — Scotland Politics — September 19, 2012)
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald is to bring back proposals to allow people the legal right to assisted suicide.  Ms. MacDonald’s bill would allow people whose lives became intolerable through progressive degenerative conditions, a trauma or terminal illness to seek a doctor’s help in dying.

“Family of Down’s patient sue hospital over DNR order”
(The Guardian — September 12, 2012)
Relatives allege doctor at NHS hospital in Kent added “do not resuscitate” order to man’s notes on basis of his disability …After he was discharged, a carer unpacking his bag found a DNR form. “It was folded in four in his belongings. She was absolutely horrified, The issue had not been discussed with any relatives at the hospital. X said.

“Norman Lamb second new health minister to call for reform of assisted dying laws”
(Telegraph — September 10, 2012)
The Liberal Democrat minister, who is responsible for suicide strategy within the Department of Health, followed his Conservative colleague Anna Soubry, who said that the current laws on voluntary euthanasia were dishonest and needed to evolve to allow people to die at home.

“Joan Smith: Tony Nicklinson’s legacy: his case will save lives”
(The Independent — August 26, 2012)
there is a huge difference between withdrawing medical treatment in terminal cases and actively helping someone to die, especially when the patient – as in many of these cases – is not actually dying. It’s clear from the debate at the conference that many doctors don’t want to be put in a position where they would be asked to kill people.

“Terminally ill patients who fear being placed on ‘routine’ death pathway issued opt-out cards by charity”
(Mail online — July 24, 2012)
In response [to current practices] the anti-euthanasia charity Alert is distributing cards to patients to prevent this happening.  The cards simply read, “Please do not give me the Liverpool Care Pathway treatment without my informed consent or that off a relative.”

“Police officer who answered 999 call from hospital bed of dehydrated patient saw nursing staff ignore his requests for water”
(Mail Online — July 10, 2012)
Officers arrived at Kane Gorny’s bedside, but were told by nurses that he was in a confused state and were sent away.  The keen footballer and runner from Balham, died of dehydration a few hours later.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve been flabbergasted by Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide fiction”
(Daily Mail — July 5, 2012)
Lord Falconer of Thornton yesterday published his latest draft Bill to have assisted suicide legalised in the UK. He told the Times yesterday, “The position of the British Medical Association [on assisted suicide] was now neutral rather than opposed.” The truth? The BMA remains strongly opposed to the legalisation of any form of voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide and even rejected a motion aiming to push its position from “opposed” to “neutral” as recently as last week.

“Patients dying in hospital in pain and lacking dignity: Survey”
(The Telegraph — July 3, 2012)
The survey, by the Office of National Statistics, found that half of families said hospital nurses did not always treat their dying family member with respect. It is the first time such a survey has been conducted and responses were received from more than 22,000 families. Earlier this week, an inquest heard that a 22-year-old man who died of dehydration of a leading hospital phoned the police from his bed because he was so thirsty. A nurse was said to have told staff to “bag him up” after his death, in front of his distraught family.

“BMA maintains official opposition to assisted suicide
(BioEdge — June 28, 2012)
The British Medical Association has resisted pressure by some members to move from opposition to neutrality on assisted suicide.

“Elderly patients ‘helped to die to free up beds’, warns doctor”
(Telegraph — June 20, 2012)
NHS hospitals are using end-of-life care to help elderly patients to die because they are difficult to look after and take up valuable beds, a top doctor has warned, Professor Patrick Pullicino has claimed that doctors are using the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) designed to help make people’s final days more comfortable as an equivalent to euthanasia.  Almost a third of patients — 130,000 — who die in hospital or under NHS care a year are on the LCP.

“Top doctor’s chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year”
(Mail Online — June 19, 2012)
Professor Patrick Pullicino said doctors had turned the use of a controversial “death pathway” into the equivalent of euthanasia of the elderly.  NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed….Medical criticisms of the Liverpool Care Pathway were voiced nearly three years ago.

“Richard Ottoway MP hints at support for euthanasia law”
(The Telegraph — March 26, 2012)
Richard Ottoway, the MP behind the first full Commons debate on assisted suicide for almost 40 years, has hinted he would support further moves towards legalising euthanasia.

“Locked-in sufferer Tony Nicklinson ‘delighted’ at winning first stage of right-to-die court battle”
(The TelegraphMarch 12, 2012)
He is asking for declarations that doctors can help him end his “intolerable” existence without facing a murder charge…. His wife, Jane Nicklinson, says the only way to relieve his suffering is to kill him.

“Killing babies no different from abortion, experts say”
(The Telegraph — February 29, 2012)
Parents should be allowed to have their newborn babies killed because they are “morally irrelevant” say medical ethicists linked to Oxford University.  Writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva stated, “We take ‘person’ to mean an individual who is capable of attributing to her own existence some (at least) basic value…” As such they argued it was “not possible to damage a newborn by preventing her from developing the potentiality to become a person in a morally relevant sense.”

“Latest infanticide push about more than killing babies”
(Daily Caller — February 29, 2012)
In this view — which is rife within international and American bioethics — the unborn, infants (at least through the first few weeks) and those who have lost relevant capacities because of, for example, late-stage Alzheimer’s or severe brain damage are not persons because they have either not yet attained or have lost the capacities of personhood.

“Ethicists give thumbs-up to infanticide”
(BioEdge — February 29, 2012)
Alberto Guibilini and Francesca Minerva argue that both the fetus and the new-born infant are only potential persons without any interest.

“Call for providers to set out assisted suicide policy”
(Money marketing — January 27, 2012)
Protection advisers [insurance agents] have called on life companies to clarify whether they will pay out in cases of assisted suicide…”It could be argued that if a person who is a beneficiary of a life policy caused their partner’s death and so caused the situation where the insurance would pay out, then they would be barred from getting that money because people cannot benefit from the proceeds of a crime.”

“Locked-in syndrome sufferer begins high court battle for right to die”
(Guardian — January 22, 2012)
Test case by Tony Nicklinson seeks declaration that any doctor terminating his life will be protected against murder charge….The disability means he cannot take his own life other than by slow starvation….The high court application goes far beyond assisted suicide. The director of public prosecution guidelines on assisted suicide, which list mitigating factors against individuals being prosecuted for assisting suicide, do not apply as Nicklinson cannot be helped to kill himself, he must be killed.

“Four patients die thirsty or starving EVERY DAY on our hospital wards show damning new statistics”
(Mail Online — January 22, 2012)
Four patients are dying hungry and thirsty on hospital wards every day, shocking figures reveal. Dehydration or malnutrition directly caused or was linked to 1,316 deaths last year in NHS trusts and privately run hospitals.
The revelation follows a series of damning reports accusing staff of failing to address the most basic needs of the vulnerable, particularly the elderly.

“The Promise of ObamaCare: Hospice for the Healthy”
(American Thinker — January 6, 2012)
In Great Britain, where the medicine has been administered by the government for nearly three-quarters of a century, a pattern has emerged that should be troubling to even the most deadened senses of decency….
The LCP [Liverpool Care Pathway] is intended to provide terminally ill patients (in their final days) with a dignified death, free of unnecessary intrusion from hospital staff. In practice, however, it is becoming a greased slide to an economical exit, hastened along by the removal of nutrition, hydration, and all medications, except for heavy sedation which serves to mask the ugliest of the effects.

“Assisted suicide and euthanasia should not rely on clinical guesswork”
(Herald Scotland — January 6, 2012)
As a retired oncologist, who practiced for more than 30 years, I am surprised and very concerned that the commission established and funded by a pro-assisted suicide lobby group has recommended that the law be changed for those who, among other criteria, have an incurable illness and appear to have less that a year to live….
Their recommendations rely heavily on the ability of two doctors to agree on this difficult question. Doctors do attempt it and there are countless anecdotes from patients and relatives to attest to just how inaccurate this so often is.

“Assisted suicide is never an autonomous choice”
(The Guardian — January 5, 2012)
There are many who consider their lives no longer worth living. Yet, it’s fraudulent to ignore the part we all play in those feelings….Once other people’s opinions are called into the picture, so are their interests. And these interests do not necessarily align with the patient’s.

“Assisted dying review selects those who could end their lives”
(The Independent — January 5, 2012)
Expert panel says law as it stands is “inadequate and incoherent” and must be changed a spokesperson for Demos, the think-tank which hosted the inquiry, said those against change were excluded because “we needed people with an open mind.”

“Lord Falconer’s bogus report on ‘assisted dying’ should fool nobody”
(Mail Online — January 5, 2012)
Lord Falconer has produced a report that claims there’s a case for introducing assisted suicide to British law…Even the BBC, usually something of a patsy for voluntary euthanasia, switched from calling them “experts” to calling them “campaigners.”

“Assisted suicide proposals: the situation in Oregon”
(The Telegraph — January 5, 2012)
The average age of those who go through with assisted suicide in Oregon is 72, with three-quarters suffering from terminal cancer. But some research has suggested that some people  had depression which may have affected their judgment. Volunteers and family members can pick up the lethal medication from a pharmacy, and there are no rules to ensure it is stored or returned safely. Patients must also take 90 capsules of the barbiturate secobarbital, with some taking up to 53 hours to die afterward.

“Assisted suicide proposals: Q & A”
(The Telegraph — January 5, 2012)
A new report recommends that doctors should be allowed to help people die if they have less than a year to live. But what is the commission and what exactly is it proposing?
It is an independent group funded by the right-to-die campaigner Sir Terry Pratchett and run by the left-leaning think tank Demos.

“Allow assisted suicide for those with less than a year to live”
(The Telegraph — January 5, 2012)
The Commission on Assisted Dying wants GPs to be able to prescribe lethal doses of medication for rying people to take themselves. The year-long inquiry admits legalisation would creat a “real risk” of pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives, either from family members or a sense that they were a burden on society.

“Assisted suicide: GMC to draw up new advice”
(The Guardian — December 15, 2011)
The General Medical Council (GMC) says doctors are already bound by law that assisting or encouraging suicide remains a criminal offense but believes it needs to clarify how its own investigators deal with cases where no prosecution is mounted by complaints are still made about a doctor’s fitness to practice.

“One way path to death”
(The Telegraph — December 12, 2011)
Note: Scroll down for this letter.
“My mother, aged 99 and living in a nursing home, was taken as an emergency to a hospital….The doctor told us there was no help for her and that she would probably only live for about two hours….Mother lived for a year, visited daily by family and friends. The highlight of her “extra” year was her 100th t, when she entertained 40 people to a tea party.

“Judge rejects family’s right to die case”
(The Telegraph — September 28, 2011)
Decision in the case of “M.”
In the first case of its kind in this country, Mr. Justice Baker said that preservation of life was a fundamental principle of law.  The woman’s mother and sister had urged him to allow her to die, describing her “pointless existence” and saying that she would not have wanted to live in such a state.  But the judge found that the woman, identified only as “M’, did have “some positive experiences” and that crucially, there was a “reasonable prospect” that those experiences could be extended.

“Don’t give out cancer drugs if it’s just to extend life: Treatment costs can’t be justified, say experts”
(Mail Online — September 27, 2011)
Patients with terminal cancer should not be given life-extending drugs, doctors said yesterday….Campaigners dismissed the report, saying it was wrong to write off cancer victims….”We have kidney cancer patients on a life-prolonging drug called Sutent who have been told they have only two to three weeks to live but who go on to live for a further five years.”

“Has assisted suicide been legalised by stealth? 44 cases escape prosecution”
(Daily Mail — September 6, 2011)
None of the 44 people suspected of helping friends or relatives to die over the past 18 months has been prosecuted, it emerged yesterday….Dr. Peter Saunders, of the campaign group Care Not Killing, said: “There is a very real danger here of leglisation by stealth which runs contrary to the will of Parliament.”

“Hove Dr. Death plans to take ‘healthy’ Eastbourne 91-year-old to suicide clinic”
(The Argus — September 6, 2011)
Michael Irwin said he is expecting to escort the 91-year-old — who does not have a terminal illness — abroad to be helped to die….The woman has arthritis, but is not expected to die from her medical problems.

“How I helped my mum to die”
(Daily Mail — August 4, 2011)
They were never close — but then Jane agreed to help her ailing mother starve herself to death….”There was no pretending I hadn’t been part of her decision, and had arguably even encouraged it. Many experts say that old people often choose to end their lives, or say they don’t want them extended, not because of their own genuine wishes, but to spare their children trouble and expense.”

“Patients struggle even to get on NHS waiting lists”
(The Telegraph — July 29, 2011)
Patients have told how they have struggled even to get on NHS waiting lists, forcing them to endure lengthy delays for treatment or to go private, as managers ration treatment to save money….The examples emerged after The Daily Telegraph disclosed how health service funding bodies are artificially increasing waiting times as they wait for patients to die or go private.

“Cataracts, hips, knees and tonsils: NHS begins rationing operations”
(The Independent — July 28, 2011)
Hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removal are among operations now being rationed in a bid to save the NHS money.

“No one has the right to switch off a human life…I should know”
(Mail Online — July 27, 2011)
“So today, as the High Court deliberates over the harrowing case of ‘M’ — a 51-year-old brain-damaged woman whose family is pleading for the right to end her life — you will find me in the Old Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament, alongside others, both able-bodies and disabled, who are determined to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.

“Right-to-die patient displays ‘a bit of a smile’ when teased, carer claims”
(Mail Online — July 20, 2011)
Her partner and sister have made an emotional plea to the judge, Mr. Justice Baker, to remove her hydration and feeding tube. But today, her carer told the High Court the woman could display “a bit of a smile” and make different noise when carers joked about men…It is thought to be the first time that a judge has been asked to rule on whether life-supporting treatment should be withdrawn from a person who is “minimally conscious”, one level above a “persistent vegetative state”….Vikram Sachdeva, for the relatives, says M’s family felt that she would not want to live a life “dependent on others.”

“Family fight to end life of brain disease patient: Landmark case affecting thousands with locked in syndrome”
(Mail Online — July 18, 2011)
The 53-year-old — known only as M — has a brain-stem wasting disease and is “minimally conscious.” which means she is able to make some movements or experience some sensations. Relatives, including her mother, say she is often in pain and would be better off dead. They have applied to one of Britain’s most powerful courts for a judge to order the removal of her hydration and nutrition tubes, which will mean she dies of thirst and starvation….If the relatives’ application is successful, it could have implications for the 6,000 Britons who are so incapacitated that they can barely communicate.

“Don’t fall for this toxic idea that the old are disposable”
(Mail Online — June 17, 2011)
What awaits us in old age? Well, the triumph of actually reaching old age for a start — not a privilege offered to all…The twilight years might be preferable to the cold alternative, but the prospect of facing them is even grimmer. Particularly, if those years are to be accompanied by new social pressures to do the decent thing and kill ourselves the second we become a burden to our nearest and dearest.

“Elderly patients dying of thirst
(Mail Online — May 26, 2011)
Doctors are prescribing drinking water for neglected elderly patients to stop them dying of thirst in hospital. The measure – to remind nurses of the most basic necessity – is revealed in a damning report on pensioner care in NHS wards. The snapshot study, triggered by a Mail campaign, found staff routinely ignored patients’ calls for help and forgot to check that they had had enough to eat and drink. Dehydration contributes to the death of more than 800 hospital patients a year.

“Allowing assisted suicide would ‘pressurise disabled to kill themselves'”
(Telegraph — May 6, 2011)
While high profile lawyers, doctors and celebrities grab the headlines, the views of the thousands of ordinary disable people who could be affected by this issue are rarely listened to. Disabled people who are already worried about people assuming their life isn’t worth living or seeing them as a burden, and are genuinely concerned that a change in the law could increase pressure on them to end their life.  The head of end-of-life care for the NHS in the West Midlands called for patients to be given more choice over how they die.

“Legalising assisted suicide ‘would lead to death on prescription'”
(Mail Online — May 5, 2011)
The sick and disabled will be able to buy suicide drugs at the chemist if the law is changed to allow assisted dying, two of the country’s most eminent legal and medical experts claim….[R]ules currently being promoted by campaigners would lead to “doctor-shopping,” where those wanting to die and families trying to persuade them to do so would go from GP to GP looking for one prepared to help.

“Outrage as ‘how-to-die helpline’ is launched by euthanasia charity”
(Mail Online — April 28, 2011)
A right-to-die pressure group provoked outrage yesterday over plans to sponsor the UK’s first helpline aimed at speeding the terminally ill towards “a good death.”  The free phone line, to be set up by a charity called Compassion in Dying, will “promote grater patient choice and control where possible.” Its plan to provide the desperately sick with advice on how to end their lives sparked protests from anti-euthanasia activists, who said the helpline would be used to shorten lives.

“Dr. Death suicide film being shown in schools”
(Mail Online — April 16, 2011)
Euthanasia fanatic gives workshop on how to kill yourself in educational video for 14-year-olds.  At his workshops Dr. Philip Nitschke demonstrates chilling suicide methods including a helium-filled “exit bag.”  The 20-minute film is made by Bristol-based Classroom Video, which supplies educational films to almost every UK school.

“Brain-damaged woman could become first person to have food and water tubes withdrawn while she is still conscious.”
(Mail Online — April 15, 2011)
A judge will soon decide whether to remove food and fluids from a woman, known as only as “M.” According to medical reports, “There is clear evidence of possible communication using a switch, which was quite stark and very surprising.”

“NHS chiefs back calls to reform assisted suicide law”
( The Telegraph – – February 24, 2011 )
One of England’s largest health authorities has said it is not opposed to assisted suicide and called for a change in the law to give patients more “choice” over how they die.

“Martin Amis says euthanasia is an ‘evolutionary inevitability'”
( Telegraph – – January 17, 2011 )
Author Martin Amis, who caused an outcry last year when he called for euthanasia booths, says euthanasia is nothing less than “an evolutionary inevitability”. According to Amis, “We are living too long.” Claiming that public opinion is on his side, he said, “Of course there are legal difficulties…It is a residue of Christian feeling – this idea of the sanctity of life – that is holding things back, but we have to get rid of this primitive feeling.”

“Former GP calls for the right to die”
( The Oxford Times – – October 11, 2010 )
Dr. Ann McPherson has set up a group of 12 health professionals to lobby for a change in the UK’s law on assisted suicide. McPherson said she wants to have the choice available “when I feel I am becoming a burden.”

“Outrage as agony aunt tells TV audience ‘I would suffocate a child to end its suffering'”
( Daily Mail – – October 4, 2010 )
Television pundit Virginia Ironside shocked BBC viewers when she said she would hold a pillow over the face of a child in pain. She claimed that “any good mother” would do so.
Ironside is not alone in her promotion of infanticide.  Princeton University Professor Peter Singer has also advocated pediatric euthanasia.

“Welcome to Washington, Dr. Berwick”
( Source: The Leaf Chronicle – – July 18, 2010 )
Dr. Donald Berwick, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. praised the British National Healthcare System (NHS) at its 60th anniversary meeting for implementing a socialized health care system – rather choosing America’s plan. But a 2009 NHS audit found that health care managers put cost cutting ahead of patient care and cited that “appalling standards of care” may have contributed to the deaths of up to 1,200 people in just one hospital.

“Mercy Killing? Never. I’ll always fight like a lioness for my darling boy…”
( Daily Mail – – February 18, 2010 )
It’s this close involvement in his care that convinces me that we must maintain the protection of the courts for people like my son, even from me, his mother….My fear is that if people begin to think of assisted suicide as an option then the balance will change. More

Final Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging or Assisting Suicide
( Issued by Director of Public Prosecutions – – February 2010 )
Specific guidelines for use in determining whether a person assisting suicide should be prosecuted.

“Martin Amis in new row over ‘euthanasia booths'”
( The Guardian – – January 24, 2010 )
British author says a “silver tsunami” of increasingly aging people puts pressure on society. Stating there will be a population of demented very old people, “stinking out the restaurants and cafes and shops,” Martin Amis calls for euthanasia booths on every corner. More

“New assisted suicide guidelines to give ‘clear advice’ to relatives”
( Guardian – September 23, 2009 )
Guidelines are designed to help people know if they will face prosecution for helping someone kill themselves. More

“Assisted suicide guidelines laid out by Director of Public Prosecutions”
( Telegraph – September 23, 2009 )
UK Director of Public Prosecutions issues interim guidelines on prosecuting assisted suicide. More

“Sentenced to death on the NHS”
( The Daily Telegraph – London, UK – September 2, 2009 )
Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors warn today. More

“The chilling truth about the city where they pay people to die”
( Daily Mail – – August 8, 2009 )
Lord Joffe is working to pass an assisted-suicide law in the UK. He and other activists point to Oregon as a model, saying it ”clearly works” there. But the facts do not support that claim. More

“Now our intellectuals think the old and frail have a ‘duty to die'”

(Daily Mail, London, 9/22/08)

“Baroness Warnock: Dementia sufferers may have a ‘duty to die'”
(Telegraph, London, 9/19/08)

Supporter of failed Joffe bill calls for euthanasia without patient’s consent
(The Guardian, London, 6/8/06)

Care not Killing, an alliance of organizations formed to promote palliative care and oppose euthanasia, maintains an up to date web site with the latest information about developments in the United Kingdom. (2/06)

Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. Lord Joffe’s assisted suicide measure modeled on Oregon’s assisted suicide law.

Evidence published by House of Lords Select Committee on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill.  Testimony from Oregon, the Netherlands and others in preparation for consideration of the bill proposed by Lord Joffe.  (Vol. II)  (pdf file, 744 pages)

British high court declares that doctor, not patient, must decide who receives food and water.
Text of high court decision

“The English Patient”
Leslie Burke is capable of making his own decisions.  He wants food and fluids, even if provided by tube. Britain’s National Health Service says “no.”
(Source: Weekly Standard, 5/30/05)

“Better for old to kill themselves than be a burden, says Warnock”
(Source: London Sunday Times 12/12/04) Britain’s leading medical ethics expert has suggested that the frail and elderly should consider suicide to stop them becoming a burden on their families or society.


HAROLD SHIPMAN, England’s “Dr. Death”
Harold Shipman was a trusted doctor for years. He was eventually convicted of killing 15 of his patients.  Now police have concluded that he killed at least 215 patients.

Shipman police “must take blame” (London Guardian, 7/21/02)
Article describes bungled investigation.  Links to additional articles and extensive background on Shipman case.

Inquiry reveals Shipman psyche
(Source: London Independent, 7/20/02)
First victim was a terminally ill woman.  Her death demonstrated his “conviction that he knew when a patient’s life should be ended.”  He often said it was “for the best” that a patient died.  “In his own words to witnesses, it was better to die than to ‘be a vegetable’ or stay in the hospital…”

Shipman killed 215 patients (BBC, 7/19/02)

Background:

Shipman held pillow over face (BBC, 4/12/02)
Woman tells of Shipman’s suspicious activity.

Police rejected Shipman early warnings (BBC, 5/7/02)
Police rejected concerns expressed over Shipman patients’ deaths.

GP blew whistle on Shipman (BBC, 5/8/02)
Dr. Linda Reynolds risked her career to protect patients.

“BMA: Let patients die ‘to save cash”
(Source: The Scotsman — June 29, 2011)
Dr. Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland, said in some cases tens of thousands of pounds were spent on drugs to extend cancer patients’ lives for relatively short periods…Speaking about cutting costs, Keighley said, “This is a decision not for doctors, but fa decision for society.”

“Judge rejects family’s right to die case”
(The Telegraph — September 28, 2011)
Decision in the case of “M.”