‘assisted suicide in the UK would eventually create a disturbing and unethical utopia’ Intelligence Squared
‘The “chattering classes” love the idea of assisted suicide… But that doesn’t mean we should listen to them.’ The Atlantic Wire
In this report, Cristina Odone:
- condemns the strident consumerist élite which is playing on our fears of death and dying to call for the legalisation of assisted suicide
- argues that it is the most vulnerable people – the ill, the frail, the elderly – who may be subject to manipulation by others
- puts forward proposals which would improve the quality of life for those who are near death.
She warns that the pressure to legalise assisted suicide as a utilitarian solution will grow – and must be resisted.
The full text of the report can be downloaded from here. And please let me have a postal address if you would like a hard copy.
As a writer for the Daily Telegraph, Christina has also written the following articles expressing her ideas on assisted suicide:
- The Daily Telegraph “I refused to help my father die” (“I could see that what would kill him faster than any disease was the realisation that he was dependent on unsympathetic strangers”)
- The Daily Telegraph “Assisted suicide is about the haves and have-nots. Dignitas is making a fortune out of the haves” (“There’s a cushy living to be made out of assisted suicide.”)
Media Impact:
This report is already having a significant impact in media across the political spectrum:
- A feature spread in The Guardian on Saturday in which Christina and Lady Warnock discuss their differing opinions: “Assisted dying debate: When Mary met Cristina”(“the reason they are so strident about changing the law is that they’re used to stage-managing every aspect of their lives”)
- The Guardian “Thinktank warns against legalising assisted suicide”
- The Daily Telegraph “Elderly and frail will be forced into ‘final solution’ of suicide if assisted dying is legalised”
- New Statesman “The cuts, student fees and New York” (“Oregon, however, offers an alternative: it is one of two US states where physician-assisted suicide is legal. The insurance companies said they would gladly pay for that.”)
- Press Association “Attack over ‘legal euthanasia’ call”
- Irish Examiner “Legalising assisted suicide ‘deems old and sick expendable’”
- French Tribune “’Legal euthanasia’ under attack” (“She did enormous studies and her findings on Assisted Suicide – How the Chattering Classes Have Got It Wrong… urge… the Government to resist changing the law”)
- Top News “Legalization of Assisted Dying Witnesses Rebuke” (“She further touted that the legalization of assisted dying would certainly form a new class of “less than perfect” citizens”)
Next month Christina’s contribution to the feature debate in Marie Claire South Africa and the comment piece in Nursing Standard will be published.
Broadcasting Impact:
- Christina was also interviewed by the Today programme, ToryRadio, LBC Radio, BBC Irish Radio and Sky Sunday Live.
Electronic Impact:
The pamphlet has also had considerable impact on the blogsphere, particularly religious blogs:
- The Daily Telegraph Blog “Assisted death and the Oregon experience” (“She is certainly right to say that the number of Britons dying in hospital – 58 per cent, apparently – is far too high”)
- EChurch Christian “Cristina Odone Centre for Policy Studies: Assisted Suicide – How the chattering classes have got it wrong” (“I simply couldn’t see it enshrined in law for the sake of the vulnerable, weak, and easily manipulable”)
- Christian Concern for Our Nation “Warning against legalising assisted suicide” (“This report has highlighted some real concerns. There is currently sustained pressure by a minority of vocal and well-organised campaigners to weaken the law on assisted suicide and change public opinion.”)
- Inside Catholic “Assistance, not assisted suicide” (“assisted suicide may seem like a reasonable option to the well-off, but it puts undue pressure on those who fear they can’t afford health care”)
- The Christian Institute “Report: weakest at risk if assisted suicide is legalised” (“the [End of Life Assistnance] Bill has been greeted with widespread opposition by medics, bioethicists and disability campaigners.”)
- Same Difference “CPS Think Tank Warns Against Legalising Assisted Suicide” (“Society’s most vulnerable risk being bullied into an early death by greedy or uncaring relatives or bureaucrats”)
- Intelligence Squared “Christina Odone and Mary Warnock clash over assisted suicide”
- eGov Monitor “Assisted Suicide: How The Chattering Classes Have Got It Wrong” “(Hard-pressed NHS hospitals and cash-strapped institutions will see the elderly and the frail as a burden to be shed, not people to be cared for.”)
- The Atlantic Wire “’I Refused to Help My Father Die’”
