The Economist magazine reports that although reported instances of people aiding someone in committing suicide have increased, the number of arrests and prosecutions have gone down. Euthanasia advocates Dignity in Dying say this means the law should be changed.
The Economist asked all police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] for the number of recorded offences of aiding and abetting suicide they held from the start of 2010 to the end of September 2016, as well as how many people had been arrested and charged.
In all, 83 separate offences were recorded across 43 police forces (six did not reply). From single digits between 2010 and 2013, the number of offences rose to 17 in 2014 and 23 in 2015. In the first nine months of last year 12 offences were recorded.
No charges since 2014
In contrast, 17 arrests were made in 2010, 13 in 2015, and four arrests in the first nine months of 2016. During the period of nearly seven years, four people were charged with crimes; none has been since 2014.
We must protect vulnerable people
“The findings of The Economist make for depressing reading and reveal that despite an increasing number of assisted suicides prosecutions are very rarely pursued,” said Dr. Anthony McCarthy of SPUC .
Unsurprisingly Dignity in Dying, with the uncritical assistance of The Economist, exploits such news as a way of achieving assisted suicide (and eventually euthanasia) by the back door. We call upon those in the medical profession and all involved with law enforcement to uphold and not to undermine laws protecting vulnerable human beings. Parliament very recently overwhelmingly rejected the Marris Bill on assisted suicide. Groups like Dignity in Dying may be able to use The Economist as a mouthpiece, but they represent a threat to the law of the land, and to ill and depressed people and to their loved ones who may feel under pressure to help arrange their suicides.
Dr. McCarthy added
Those who would normalize assisted suicide betray not only those physically ill people who do not currently value their own lives but also all of those tempted to choose ‘conventional’ suicide, which seems to increase, and not diminish, where assisted suicide is legalized.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
