PROPONENTS OF EUTHANASIA
Former pro-euthanasia group leader to be expelled
ANGUS HOWARTH
Mon 5 Jul 2004
THE former chairman of Britain’s leading
pro-euthanasia group is to face expulsion from the society after admitting he
has advised terminally-ill patients how to take their own lives, it emerged
yesterday.
The Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES) feels its credibility and its
commitment to working within the law are being undermined by the actions of Dr
Michael Irwin.
Members of the VES board will vote on a motion to expel Dr Irwin from the
society, to which he has belonged for more than 30 years. A spokesman, Mark
Slattery, confirmed that the motion will be proposed by the chief executive,
Deborah Annetts, and the chairman, Richard Belton.
Dr Irwin, a former family doctor, resigned as the society’s chairman in
December after admitting that he had travelled to the Isle of Man with the
intention of helping a friend who was suffering from prostate cancer to commit
suicide. Dr Irwin was arrested by police but not charged. Last week, he told a
newspaper he had advised at least five terminally-ill people on travelling to
the Swiss euthanasia clinic, Dignitas.
Mr Slattery said: "The society agrees with Dr Irwin that the law is
desperately in need of reform, but we campaign for change within the law,
otherwise our credibility is undermined.
"Dr Irwin seems to be indicating an unwillingness to play as part of the
team and is pursuing his own agenda."
The VES hopes a national debate on euthanasia law will be triggered this week
when a House of Lords select committee begins considering Lord Joffe’s
private member’s bill on assisted dying for the terminally ill.
It will be the first time in a decade that the issues have been examined in
such detail by a parliamentary committee, said Mr Slattery.
The committee will be chaired by the former Conservative Lord Chancellor, Lord
Mackay of Clashfern.
Ms Annetts said: "Lord Joffe’s bill makes this an important year with
an historic opportunity to change the law so that mentally-competent,
terminally-ill people can ask for medical assistance to die, if that is what
they want."
She added: "Everyone at the VES is focussed on Lord Joffe’s bill."
Source: http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=318&id=768942004
Since October 04, 04 you are visitor
