Keir Starmer was strongly in favour of last year’s Assisted Dying Bill. Andy Burnham is not. People have assumed that, because of his Catholic family background, the new Prime Minister would automatically be opposed. He is opposed but not because of his Catholicism. He simply feels that the existing laws should not be changed until… Continue reading New PM has a different view of Assisted Dying
Just when we thought the match was over, the home team have scored a goal in extra time. To some surprise, campaigners in favour legalising Assisted Dying in England and Wales have persuaded another MP to re-present last year’s Bill. It was generally considered to have failed after it was “talked out” by the House… Continue reading The Assisted Dying Bill returns
The figures coming out of the Kenneth Law case in Toronto, are little short of astonishing. Mr Law, 60, has pleaded guilty to sending 1,200 lethal packages to people in 41 separate countries. 330 of these were sent to Britain, where 79 of them were used for suicide. He has now pleaded guilty. The Canadian… Continue reading The Kenneth Law case
There is a report from Switzerland today (14th May) that Pegasos has lost its appeal in the Solothurn Court and that VADs (Voluntary Assisted Deaths) in Roderis may have to be reduced or even curtailed. https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/court-demands-building-permit-for-hospice-for-the-dying-in-nunningen-so-3189840.html This report, if true, will cause concern for the many visitors to this website who have reserved a VAD… Continue reading Pegasos loses in Court ?
Bills to legalise Assisted Dying have now been defeated in Scotland and in England & Wales. Campaigners are promising that their fights will continue. For the London Parliament, their future path is clear. They are going to try again in the 2026/27 Parliamentary session. By law, the House of Lords cannot block the same Bill… Continue reading Where now for UK law change ?
There is likely to have been rather more complexity to Wendy Duffy’s case than was reported in the British newspapers this week. According to the Daily Mail, she has been accepted for a VAD (Voluntary Assisted Death) by Pegasos because she is suffering terribly from the loss of her son four years ago. At 56,… Continue reading The Wendy Duffy case
It is always a bad sign when journalists, sent to cover a newsworthy event, start writing about themselves rather than the event itself. We hesitated, therefore, before posting this message about the “hits” to our own website. However, the most recent figures do indicate a number of trends that are indicative of the international interest… Continue reading Website traffic
In the 16 years between April 2009 and March 2026 there were 209 cases referred by the UK police to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible prosecution on the grounds of “assisting a suicide” under the Suicide Act of 1961. That was an average of 13 per year. Many of these will have been self-referred… Continue reading UK Assisted Suicide cases
The release last week by Dignitas of their figures for 2025 revealed a critical point about assisted dying. It is a point that has been entirely neglected by campaigners who continue to resist any change to the law.. The worldwide membership of Dignitas is now 15,968. That is an increase of 6½% on the 2024… Continue reading A critical point neglected
The news this evening that the Scottish Parliament has voted against its Assisted Dying Bill will be a huge blow to right-to-die campaigners everywhere. The vote, by 57 in favour to 69 against, is likely to postpone by at least five years any meaningful attempt to change the current law, even though more than 70%… Continue reading Scotland says No
