The APPG on Dying Well looks forward to its next event after Easter recess on Tuesday 16th April at 5:30PM in Room M of Portcullis House (hybrid event).
We look forward to hearing from Dr Trudo Lemmens about his hesitation around normalising ‘assisted dying’, drawing from his experience of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) laws.
Dr Lemmens also gave evidence to the recent Health and Social Care Committee’s Inquiry into Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide. In which, he said:
“I would say that Canada is a warning sign for countries that contemplate legalising medical assistance in dying or assisted suicide and euthanasia. We have a system that started off in response to the typical more exceptional cases of suffering, where there was a perceived need to allow euthanasia and assisted suicide in the case of a person with a degenerative disease approaching their natural death. For various reasons it has rapidly expanded from a system that focused on an already broad end-of-life context in response to a Supreme Court case to, I would say, the most open-ended system in the world. We see the offer of physician ending of life, which is the large majority of cases— the overwhelming majority of cases. We have nearly no cases of assisted suicide. It has transformed into a system of life ending by medical professionals and has, in some way, become a first-line therapy. What I mean by that is that it is accessible largely on demand in very broad circumstances in response to suffering associated with medical illness or a disability more broadly. I would say that it is also the most rapidly expanding system in the world.“
Dr Trudo Lemmens – Tuesday 6th June 2023
Please RSVP to prestonc@parliament.uk to confirm your attendance. This will be a hybrid event so if you are unable to make it in person, please do request a Zoom link and this will be sent to you.