An opinion poll has found that one out of ten British people think that elderly people should be offered a “reward” if they opt to end their own lives.
But it also found that 58 per cent of the public think that it would be “impossible” to legalise assisted suicide in a way that would be completely safe from abuse by doctors or unscrupulous relatives.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the poll, conducted by ComRes for the disability campaign group “Not Dead Yet” and the anti-euthanasia campaign group Care Not Killing, found that while 54 per cent of people supported assisted suicide in principle, even more thought that there was no safe way to implement such a system.
Andrew Hawkins, chairman of ComRes, told the Daily Telegraph: “The obvious conclusion is that while the public are broadly sympathetic to the rights-based argument in favour of ending lives at the time of a person’s choice, there is widespread concern about the abuse to which any system is likely to be open.”
“These concerns are apparent across three areas – by the medical profession, by unscrupulous relatives, and in terms of pressure to end lives prematurely and on diminishing palliative and other health care resources.”
More than 42 per cent of people agree with the statement that “If assisted suicide and euthanasia were legalised for terminally ill people in Britain it would inevitably be extended eventually to other groups such as the disabled” , while 31 per cent disagreed.
When presented with the statement “If the law is changed then some vulnerable people like the elderly, disabled or terminally ill will inevitably feel pressured into ending their lives prematurely” 48 per cent of people agreed while 30 per cent disagreed.
The poll also found that one out of ten British people think that elderly people should be offered a “reward” if they opt to end their own lives.
Respondents were also asked whether they agreed with, the author Martin Amis that elderly people should be rewarded for ending their lives.
The question was a reference to remarks by Mr Amis in 2010 suggesting that there should be booths on street corners where elderly people could go to end their lives and that they should be given “a Martini and a medal” for doing so.
Overall 64 per cent disagreed with the idea of rewarding people for ending their lives with 10 per cent in favour and 26 per cent claiming that they did not know.
Anti-euthanasia campaigners said the finding was “chilling” evidence of deep-seated prejudice towards older people from a small but significant minority of the population.
They claim that it is proof of the possible dangers of any change in the suicide laws such as the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill which is due to return to Parliament for detailed scrutiny on Friday.
The bill would allow terminally ill patients judged to have no more than six months to live and a “settled intention” to end their lives to be prescribed a lethal dose of drugs if two doctors agree.
Dr Peter Saunders, campaign director of Care Not Killing, said: “The most chilling findings of this poll, were the one in 10 who said the elderly should be encouraged to end their lives so they did not become a burden.
“This highlights the frightening undercurrent of deep prejudice that some people harbour towards the older members of our community.”
“If there was any doubt about why it is absolutely vital the current legal protections that prohibit assisted suicide and euthanasia are maintained, then this one fact should be proof enough.”
