We campaign for a change in the law to give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the right to choose an assisted death.
We campaign for a change in the law to give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the right to choose an assisted death.
The independent group was set up to help Conservative politicians and party members who support assisted dying work together to make a conservative case for a change in the law.
1. Suffering. 17 people a day suffer as they die.[1] Even the best palliative care cannot relieve pain and suffering in all cases.[2]
2. Suicide. Every year, over 300 terminally ill people take their own lives.[3] The Office for National Statistics found that people with low survival cancers are at 2.4 times higher risk of suicide than those without.[4]
3. Switzerland. Since 2002, 540 British people have travelled to Dignitas to die.[5] The option of an assisted death abroad is unavailable to most people as the cost is estimated to be between £6,500 and £15,000.[6]
The change in the law we support would give people the right to choose an assisted death only if all of these six criteria were met:
1. They have a terminal illness.
2. They are reasonably expected to die within six months.
3. They are mentally competent and have a clear and settled intention to end their own life.
4. Their decision to request an assisted death is reached voluntarily, on an informed basis, without coercion or duress.
5. The request for an assisted death is agreed by two doctors acting independently from one another.
6. A High Court judge agrees to the request.
Polling by Opinium in 2024 found that:[8]
Conservative voters are even more strongly in favour (78%) of a change in the law than the general public.[8]
“Talking about assisted dying is a distraction and we should focus on improving palliative care instead”. False. Assisted dying laws are linked to improvements in palliative care.[9] Giving dying people choice and control should be considered part of high-quality palliative care.
“There is a slippery slope and the eligibility criteria for assisted dying will expand”. False. No jurisdiction that has set out to introduce the right to an assisted death for terminally ill adults has extended that right to people who are not terminally ill.[9]
“Doctors don’t support assisted dying”. False. The largest ever survey of medical opinion in the UK conducted by the British Medical Association in 2020 found that 50% of doctors support a change in the law, while 39% were opposed and 11% were undecided.[10] Medical organisations that once opposed assisted dying have changed their position. For example, the Royal College of Physicians adopted a neutral position in 2019, and the British Medical Association followed suit in 2021.[11,12] In 2024 the Royal College of Nursing voted to support the principles of assisted dying.[13]
“Religious people don’t support assisted dying”. False. 66% of religious people support a change in the law, including three quarters of Church of England and two thirds of Roman Catholics.[8,14]
[1] Office for Health Economics. Unrelieved Pain in Palliative Care in England. 2019.
[2] House of Commons Health & Social Care Committee. Assisted Dying / Assisted Suicide (paragraph 216). 2024.
[3] Dignity in Dying. A Hidden Problem: Suicide by Terminally Ill People. 2014.
[1] Office for National Statistics. Suicides Among People Diagnosed with Severe Health Conditions, England 2017 to 2020. 2022.
[4] Evidence to Health & Social Care Select Committee from Silvan Luley, Dignitas. 2023.
[5] Dignity in Dying. The True Cost: How the UK Outsources Death to Dignitas. 2017.
[6] Evidence to Health & Social Care Select Committee from the National Centre for Social Research. 2023.
[7] Dignity in Dyingwebsite.
[8] House of Commons Health & Social Care Committee. Assisted Dying / Assisted Suicide (paragraph 142). 2024.
[9] British Medical Association. Physician assisted dying survey. 2021.
[10] Royal College of Physicians website. No majority view on assisted dying moves RCP position to neutral. 2019.
[11] British Medical Association. BMA moves to neutral stance on assisted dying. 2021.
[12] Nursing Times. Nurses vote to back ‘principles’ of assisted dying in the UK. 2024.
[13] Dignity in Dying website.
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