A new poll has found that people fear doctors in Britain would encourage assisted suicide in order to ease pressures on the national health service – and that while a majority supported legalisation, they also feared it would backfire in practice.
More than four in ten of those polled – 43 per cent – said legalising assisted suicide could incentivise health professionals to encourage some patients to take their lives given the pressures on the NHS, while 37 per cent believed it would not.
Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, chair of Living and Dying Well, the group that commissioned the poll, said that the survey showed “a very different snapshot of ordinary peoples’ attitude towards assisted suicide” than the “glossy picture” presented by organisations supporting assisted suicide.
“It shows that, at best, people are ambivalent about the prospect. And the survey shows that the more people know about the issue, the more likely they are to reject this legislation,” she said.
The poll found that young people oppose assisted suicide more than any other age group, with less than half (44 per cent) of 18–24-year-olds in favour of legalising assisted suicide.
It also found awareness of the situation in other countries, with 70 percent agreeing assisted suicide in countries such as Canada and the Netherlands had gone too far, while just 13 per cent disagreed.
The survey of just over 2,000 by Whitestone Insight for the think tank Living and Dying Well revealed that 60 per cent supported legalising assisted suicide, but that nearly half (46 per cent) also believed there were too many complicating factors to make it a practical and safe option to implement in Britain.
There were also concerns that it could lead to a culture where suicide became more normalised – with 56 per cent to 27 per cent holding that view.
Living and Dying Well (LDW) said that the poll showed that the British public believe there are too many ‘complicating factors’ for assisted suicide to be safely implemented in the UK.
They noted that 60 per cent of those surveyed worried that legalizing assisted suicide would fundamentally change the relationship between doctor and patient, – including more than half (51 per cent) of those who support the measure.
The poll also found that a majority feel that legalising assisted suicide is not a political priority for most people – being ranked 23 out of 24 of issues that need attention, and just four per cent believing it should be a priority for politicians.
“Seven in 10 (70 per cent) said that assistance in dying in countries like Canada and the Netherlands, where young people with no terminal illness are helped to die, has gone too far. This rose to more than eight in 10 (84 per cent) when those who answered ‘don’t know’ were discounted,” the think tank said.
“A clear majority – 56 per cent – voiced fears that legalising AD/AS would lead to a culture where suicide becomes more normalised than it is today. This rose to 67 per cent when those who answered “don’t know” were omitted,” they added.
” Similarly, 43 per cent fear that introducing AD/AS when the NHS and Social Care budget is under such pressure would inevitably place an incentive on health professionals to encourage some people to end their lives early,” they said, adding that “four in ten people (41 per cent) are concerned that introducing AD/AS when the NHS is under such strain would “inevitably” risk funding for palliative care services.”
They said that some politicians “wrongly believe the public are broadly supportive of changing the law to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia” – but that the results of the poll “pushes back against the narrative frequently promoted by those who say the public support a change in the law and highlights the serious concerns of ordinary people that need to be considered by parliamentarians ahead of any future discussion.”
“The poll shows that support for AD/AS suicide amongst the public changes when confronted with evidence from where it is legal. Nearly half (47 per cent), for instance, worried that people in places where it is legal opt for AD/AS because they feel they are a burden. Of those expressing any opinion this concern rose to 59 per cent of those who said they support AD/AS,” they said.
“On conscientious objection, more than three quarters (77 per cent) felt all doctors, healthcare workers, and hospices should have the right to opt out of the service. This rose to nine in 10 (89 per cent) of those who expressed an opinion,” LDW pointed out.
“These results run in stark contrast to previous polls on the subject that frame the debate in a simplistic way without asking people to consider what changing the law actually entails. The poll shows that the British people are increasingly suspicious of AD/AS as disturbing evidence emerges from places like Canada,” they claimed.
“Tanni, The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, chair of LDW, said: “This nationally representative poll conducted under British Polling Council guidelines gives a very different snapshot of ordinary peoples’ attitude towards assisted suicide than the glossy picture presented by proAD/AS organisations. It shows that, at best, people are ambivalent about the prospect. And the survey shows that the more people know about the issue, the more likely they are to reject this legislation.”
A private members bill which would permit adults with six months or fewer to live to avail of assisted suicide has been introduced in the House of Lords, by former Labour Justice Secretary Lord Falconer.
He said the would apply only to people “mentally able to make the decision” – and that their choice would also need to be approved by two doctors and the high court.