There is an important consultation taking now place about when
cases of 'assisted suicide' will be prosecuted. The law on
'assisting suicide' has not changedbut the Director of Public
Prosecutions (DPP) has issued 'interim guidelines' about when to
prosecute people who do it. We have until 16 December 2009 to
respond.
It is essential that as many people as possible concerned about
safeguarding the
value of life should respond. The guidelines are defective. If left
unchanged, they
are likely to encourage attitudes and practices that will greatly
increase the
pressures on vulnerable people to kill themselves. Suicide is a
terrible act and
typically the act of a desperate person. Those contemplating
suicide should be treated with compassion, but suicide should never
be promoted or assisted. Promoting or assisting suicide is a
serious offence, not a 'victimless crime'. It leaves someone
dead.
What are the most important defects in the
guidelines?
First, that the guidelines give the impression that a
person with a disability (or a
serious illness or a history of suicide attempts) has less
protection under the law than the rest of us. Second, they may well
encourage people in certain categories (spouses and carers) to
think they are immune from prosecution for advising or assisting
suicide. Sadly, not all spouses and carers are caring people, and
vulnerable people need the law's protection here. Third, the
guidelines fail to give enough weight to preventing systematic
promotion of suicide by pro-suicide and pro-euthanasia groups or
individuals.
What can we do?
You can respond to the consultation and make your views
known. Unfortunately the consultation document produced by the
Crown Prosecution Service is confusing and not easy to follow.
Advice on how to respond is on the Bishops' Conference website. If
you write a response the key point to make in your reply is that
the factors "against prosecution" should not include:
- that the victim had a terminal illness, severe disability or
chronic illness, or
- that the suspect was a spouse, partner or close relative.
It is right that there should be some discretion for the DPP
when there are exceptional circumstances which mean prosecution
would not be in the public interest. But including these key
categories in guidelines could allow the practice of assisted
suicide to quickly become very common.
To make your response go to http://www.cps.gov.uk/consultations/as_policy.html
or phone the Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000) and ask for
a copy of the
consultation document.
Advice on how to respond can be found on the Bishops' Conference
website at
www.catholicchurch.org.uk