Majority in support of Assisted Suicide narrows

65% of Britons continue to support assisted suicide, according to a recent Ipsos poll, in a result which has encouraged opponents to its introduction. The poll indicates far less support than is normally claimed for legislative change, with one recent study from Dignity in Dying claiming 82% support.

The result came in answer to the question “Do you think it should be legal for a doctor to assist a patient aged 18 and over in ending their life by prescribing life-ending medication that the patient can take themselves, if certain conditions are met?”.

Research has indicated that support for assisted suicide drops after respondents hear counter-arguments; a different poll once suggested by as much as from 73% to 43%.

The Ipsos results also showed similar drops in support in response to other questions, including about euthanasia (lethal drugs being actively administered by a doctor), where support fell from 68% to 61%, and about whether assisted suicide being permitted for people experiencing mental health difficulties (where support fell from 40% to 35%).

In recent months, a number of UK columnists have written about how they have changed their minds on the issue after becoming concerned about what is unfolding in the likes of Canada.

Alistair Thompson, from Care not Killing, said: “The more people hear about what is happening [in other countries] the more danger they see in changing the law.”

Research also indicated a slight support for breaking the law to assist a loved one to commit suicide, although in practice, the law here is used as a deterrent rather than punitively: since April 1 2009, only 4 cases of encouraging or assisting suicide have been successfully prosecuted.