What readers thought about The BMJ’s articles on assisted dying
BMJ 2018; 361 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1558 (Published 09 April 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;361:k1558- Birte Twisselmann, editorials and obituaries editor
- The BMJ
- btwisselmann{at}bmj.com
The strongest argument against assisted dying, among more than 90 responses from readers to our recent cluster of articles (bmj.com/content/assisted-dying), was that under no circumstances should doctors intentionally kill patients. Eunice Minford, consultant surgeon in Northern Ireland, quoted Elizabeth Butler-Sloss: “The law . . . rests on the principle that we do not involve ourselves in deliberately bringing about the deaths of others. Once we start making exceptions based on arbitrary criteria such as terminal illness, the frontier becomes just a line in the sand, easily crossed and hard to defend.”1
Assisted suicide might also be open to abuse, some readers thought. Barry Cullen, retired GP from Fareham, Hampshire, asked, “Would there be the same level of support for physician assisted suicide if it were introduced as a cheaper alternative to palliative care in an NHS already starved of resources?”2 …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.