Public Favors Palliative Care Over Assisted Suicide, New Poll Reveals
As the debate over assisted suicide continues, a recent poll highlights a clear preference among the public for enhancing palliative care services. The survey, conducted by Whitestone Insight for Care Not Killing (CNK), emerged just before Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) decide on the potential legalization of assisted suicide in Scotland.
The poll surveyed over 2,000 adults across the UK, revealing that a majority prioritize accessible and high-quality palliative care over the legalization of assisted suicide. Specifically, 67% of respondents support the notion that universally available hospice and palliative care should precede any legislative changes regarding assisted suicide. This sentiment is particularly strong among Labour voters, with seven out of ten in agreement.
Conversely, only 17% disagreed with the necessity of prioritizing palliative care. Additionally, when asked about the current state of the NHS, 61% of participants expressed concerns about the NHS being too stretched and underfunded to safely implement assisted suicide. This concern was even more pronounced among disabled individuals, with 64% in agreement.
Half of the respondents believe that discussions on assisted suicide should be postponed until palliative care is adequately funded, a view supported by nearly 60% of Labour backers.
Interestingly, only 44% of those surveyed think that legalizing assisted suicide would improve living conditions in the UK.
Dr. Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, interpreted the poll results as evidence of growing apprehension towards assisted suicide. “Indeed, the public do not trust the ability of an overstretched and underfunded health system to introduce assisted dying safely and want politicians to focus on fixing the broken palliative care system,” he remarked.
He further emphasized the need for government attention on palliative care, stating, “This poll sends a clear message to Westminster – the public wants the Government to fix our failing palliative care system before even considering a dangerous change to the law.”
Macdonald highlighted the risks associated with legalizing assisted suicide, drawing parallels with other jurisdictions where the practice has led to negative consequences for vulnerable groups. “The political priority must be to give patients a genuine choice through world-class hospice care, not turning doctors into executioners because fixing palliative care is too difficult and costly and the public will punish any party at the ballot box that thinks differently,” he asserted.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
