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Dignity in Dying
UK News

Christian campaigner warns of dangers of new assisted suicide bid

The group Dignity in Dying is working with terminally ill Noel Conway (pictured above) to challenge the suicide laws.

It's seen as the first attempt to change the laws since MPs rejected the idea in September 2015.

Mr Conway, 67, from Shrewsbury, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in November 2014 and is hoping to take the government to a judicial review to enable a doctor to help him die when his health deteriorates.

It is also the first challenge since right-to-die campaigners lost their appeal at the Supreme Court in 2014.

Speaking about the impact his condition will have on his body, Mr Conway said: "This prospect is terrifying and the amount of suffering unimaginable.

"Current law means that I will have no control of how my life ends and I will have to endure this nightmare for as long as it takes.

"As someone who has always been in control of his life and taking responsibility for himself, I find this quite unacceptable. I want to change the law to allow assisted dying so that I can be in control of my own death."

Christian anti-euthanasia campaigner James Mildred (pictured below) says it's important to look past the personal circumstances surrounding the case.

Speaking to Premier, he said: "Changing the law, even as a response to hard cases like this would prove to be a huge mistake with devastating consequences for the most vulnerable in our society.

"While it is impossible not to feel sympathy for Mr Conway the current law not only works and is compassionate, crucially it also protects the doctor/patient relationship.

"Lawmakers have a duty to consider the wider implications of assisted suicide and it was precisely because of the dangerous consequences of allowing assisted suicide that MPs resoundingly rejected the last attempt to change suicide laws.

"Just think about the tens of thousands of elderly people who suffer from acute loneliness and it's easy to imagine the pressure they might feel if we legalise assisted suicide to end their own lives.

"As a society we should care for people who suffer from disabilities and terminal conditions and rapid advance in medicine makes that more and more possible and it far better to devote more resources to facilitate quality end of life care, rather than legalising assisted suicide."

Mr Conway has instructed lawyers to begin legal proceedings. If permission is given the full hearing in the High Court is likely to take place in early 2017.

Listen to James Mildred speaking to Premier:

 
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