The Catholic Union is holding a webinar on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Thursday 3 April. Chaired by Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union, it will give members and supporters the chance to unpick the Bill guided by three experts: Dr Matthew Doré; Dr Philip Howard and Professor Julian Hughes.
Dr Matthew Doré, Consultant Palliative Care Physician, says: “Many concerns about bad deaths raised at the impassioned Second Reading of the Bill by MPs evoke emotion but are not addressed by the Bill itself. There is a stark mismatch between the emotional rationale and the Bill’s content. This false premise written into the Bill will inevitably kill many erroneously.”
Dr Philip Howard, former Gastroenterologist & Senior Lecturer in Medicine says: “There would be an enormous change in the practice of medicine should the Bill become law. It would reverse the declaration within the Hippocratic Oath that “I will give no deadly drug to any, nor will I counsel such.” Deadly drugs will be given to many and suicides will be encouraged. The Leadbeater Bill is at odds with the fundamental Right to Life enshrined in Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
Professor Julian Hughes, Former Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, says: “With the NHS struggling to keep up with demand now is not the time to introduce assisted suicide. The answer is to invest in well-coordinated end-of-life care – not to take an attitude of therapeutic nihilism”.
The Bill will return to the Commons’ Chamber for Third Reading on 25 April. To sign up for the webinar at 18.30 on Thursday 3 April, please register on Eventbrite and a link will be sent to you in due course.