United Kingdom

UK Society for Old Age Rational Suicide (SOARS) goes online

March 11, 2010: The Society for Old Age Rational Suicide (established on International Human Rights Day December 10, 2009, in Brighton, UK) today published its website. The Society campaigns for a change of law so that very elderly, mentally competent individuals, who are suffering unbearably (not "terminally") ... can have a dignified death, as an ultimate human right.

UK: DPP to publish guidelines later today

February 25, 2010: Later today Keir Starmer DPP from the UK Crown Prosectution Service will publish the long awaited guidelines on the prosecution of people who assisted with suicide. He said so in an article in The Times, more or less also as a reaction to an article by Gordon Brown, UK's Prime Minister.

TRIBUNALS: guarantee for due care in assisted dying?

February 14, 2010: On February 1 this year, BBC 1 broadcasted the Richard Dimbleby Lecture "Shaking Hands With Death" by famous author Terry Pratchet. In this lecture Pratchet - himself being diagnosed with [early] Alzheimer - made a plea for a "pre-assistance assessment" by tribunals, a system used in the UK in other sensitive situations.

Scotland: not all religious leaders are "against"

November 24, 2009: A leading Church of Scotland minister, Dr. John Cameron, will publish an article next month in "Life and Work" (the Church of Scotland magazine), positioning himself as an opponent to his church's negative views and reaction on the End of Life Choices bill of MP Margo MacDonald.

VE Campaigner Sir Ludovic Kennedy (UK) died

October 21, 2009: Ludovic Kennedy, writer, broadcaster and cam

Crown Prosecution Service UK publishes guidelines

September 24, 2009: As anounced earlier - see newsitem this we

UK developments expected this week

September 21, 2009: After the backing this year by the Law Lords of Debbie Purdy, calling for a policy statement on whether people assisting someone with his or her suicide should be prosecu

The alternative to euthanasia?

August 14, 2009:  Adam Brimelow, health correspondent to BBC News, reports on the suggestion that continuous deep sedation (CDS) is being (mis)used as "slow euthanasia" in many cas

Church of England unite with Roman Catholic Church against legalisation of 'assisted suicide'

Church of England bishops have united with the Roman Catholic Church in launching a campaign to prevent the legalisation of 'assisted suicide' this week. The Roman Catholic attempt to distribute half a million anti-euthanasia leaflets and DVDs to each of 粑

Former president World Federation of Right to Die Societies died

Patrick Nowell-Smith, who was president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies from l984-1986 has died in England at the age of 91.

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