Assisted Suicide
Eating disorders used as grounds for assisted suicide in multiple cases
A ground-breaking study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry has revealed that over 60 individuals with eating disorders have gone through an assisted suicide or euthanasia.
The cases took place in Belgium, the Netherlands and the US.
Some even occurred in countries where the practice is supposedly limited to those with a terminal condition.
Dr Angela Guarda, Director at John Hopkins Hospital said:
This landmark study is a clarion call to place brakes on the practice of physician assisted death for individuals with an eating disorder, it demonstrates how ideology rather than evidence often guides this practice — despite the life and death stakes involved.
Key Findings
- 60 patients with eating disorders underwent euthanasia or assisted suicide between 2012 and 2024.
- Is the US, patients with eating disorders were granted access to lethal medications based on the controversial pseudodiagnosis of 'terminal anorexia'.
- In other countries, doctors said eating disorder patients were eligible for assisted suicide because their condition was 'hopeless' and 'untreatable'.
- One third of patients were under 30 years old when they received an assisted suicide.
The researchers also found that in many cases, doctors wrongly claimed patients had terminal and incurable conditions in order to grant access to lethal medications.
Relevance to the UK
The question of whether an assisted suicide law can ever be made truly safe from exploitation or abuse is a fundamental and key question for lawmakers.
In Scotland, MSPs will soon have to decide whether to support Liam McArthur's Assisted Suicide Bill which would legalise the practice for patients with a terminal illness and six months or less to live.
In England and Wales, Lord Falconer has an Assisted Suicide Bill in the House of Lords with a major debate expected later this year. This proposed Bill would also legalise assisted suicide for adults with a terminal illness and six months or less to live.
This study highlights how assisted suicide laws can be expanded and vital safeguards removed. Whenever UK parliament's have debated assisted suicide before, lawmakers have always voted against changing the current law on safety grounds.
As parliamentarians gear up for further debates and votes on assisted suicide in 2024/25, the case against assisted suicide is getting stronger, not weaker.
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