Assisted suicide Bill 'deeply dangerous', says palliative care specialist

A leading palliative care consultant has urged MPs to reject the UK’s proposed assisted suicide legislation, calling it “not fit for purpose” and “deeply dangerous”.

Dr Amy Proffitt, a consultant in palliative medicine and former President of the Association for Palliative Medicine, warned the Bill risks sending a damaging message to society’s most vulnerable.

Dr Proffitt rejected claims that the proposed British system mirrors Oregon’s model, often seen as the safest framework.

“It’s far from a safe system,” she stated. “I think it's deeply dangerous for the Bill that has been proposed and it needs to be scrapped and we go back and look again.”

“The majority, 80% of the people that have assisted death have government insurance with Medicaid or Medicare suggesting that the vulnerable in society are not worth it,” she continued

“Put that into our NHS and what does it say about us as a society... those with disability, those with learning disabilities, those with social deprivation?”

She also voiced concern about the potential erosion of end-of-life care if the Bill progresses. This fear is shared by Britain’s hospice sector and many fellow palliative care clinicians.

In contrast, Dr David Grube, a retired doctor from Oregon, defended the practice, calling assisted suicide “almost sacred” and saying the process has strengthened the doctor-patient relationship.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill proposes assisted suicide for mentally competent adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live. The next vote in Parliament is expected on 13 June.