The UK will soon debate assisted suicide. Canada's euthanasia regime should cause caution.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On October 9, 2024, The European Conservative published an interview by Jonathon Van Maren with Alexander Raikin. Raikin has recently published a research article titled: The Rise of Euthanasia in Canada: From Exceptional to Routine. Van Maren begins the  article by commentary on the fact that an assisted suicide bill will soon be introduced in the UK.

I recently completed a speaking tour in the UK to awaken people to the reality of Canada's euthanasia experience. Van Maren writes in relation to the upcoming UK assisted suicide bill:

...Keir Starmer, is planning to fast-track a bill legalizing assisted suicide, telling the BBC on October 4 that he is “pleased” to be able to do so. Euthanasia activists have been waiting for this moment and are ramping up their campaigns. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater wrote an editorial for the Guardian in which she stated, with admirable honesty: “Life is precious. But so is choice.” She makes it clear—although without moral clarity—that between life and choice, we must always pick choice. 

Starmer has promised to allot extra time to enable Leadbeater's assisted suicide bill to be debated and likely receive a second reading vote before Christmas. Van Maren continues:

Wes Streeting, Starmer’s Secretary of State for Health, has stated that he opposes legalizing euthanasia because the state of end-of-life care in the UK is horrifying—and because the notion of choice, considering the availability of palliative care, is farcical: “When I think about this question of burden, I do not think that palliative care … in this country is in a condition yet where we are giving people the freedom to choose without being coerced by the lack of support available.” Similar concerns were raised in a 2023 parliamentary report that emphasized the need for “major improvements” in end-of-life care.

Labour’s disabilities secretary, Sir Stephen Timms, also expressed his opposition. In 2022, he stated, “If we were to legalise assisted dying, we would impose an awful moral dilemma on every conscientious frail person nearing the end of their life … If ending their life early were legally permissible, many who do not want to end their life would feel under great, probably irresistible, pressure to do so. There is no way to stop that happening.” At least five senior ministers have already indicated that they plan to vote against assisted suicide.

Starmer, the leader of the Labour party, won a massive majority government. One of Starmer's election promises was to bring forth an assisted suicide bill. Van Maren continues:

The most insidious aspect of this is that Starmer knows what will happen if assisted suicide and euthanasia are legalized. His own health secretary has made it clear. So has the disabilities secretary. In fact, Canada—a Commonwealth country—has provided a singular case study over the past several years, with many euthanasia horror stories being featured prominently in the UK press. None of those supporting euthanasia have taken the trouble to rebut the assertion that ‘choice’ will play little role in many deaths. Considering the prevalence and prominence of the evidence, it is difficult not to conclude that they believe that is an acceptable price to pay.

Starmer is a long-time supporter of euthanasia and assisted suicide. The UK assisted suicide bill can be defeated if, during the debate, Canada's experience with euthanasia is continuously brought up. 

The UK cannot ignore how Canada's euthanasia law is out of control.

The many new Labour party MP's who were recently elected in the UK need to be open-minded and willing to research Canada's euthanasia reality. There are ample Canadian examples of what can happen when euthanasia or assisted suicide are legalized.