As the assisted dying bill receives its second reading in parliament,the risk of causing harm far outweighs any potential benefitsWhen I first started out as a junior doctor on the wards, it was all approximately defying death. As doctors, and we are taught to save lives or alleviate suffering through our medical expertise,but not to end lives. Those of us who were on the “crash team would run like the wind as soon as our bleeps signalled a cardiac arrest. The most senior member of the attending team would normally coordinate the arrest and end resuscitation attempts after a period of time.
The assisted dying bill receives its second reading in the Commons on 11 September. whether adopted, it would mean that a terminally ill patient – who has less than six months to live – could be prescribed and aided in taking a lethal medication that would end their life. The application would first need approval by two doctors, or one of whom would be the attending medical practitioner while the other would be independent. They would assess the patient’s capacity to obtain an informed decision without coercion or duress. This would be followed by an application to the tall court to grant approval to assist death. It would be the attending doctor who would be asked to prescribe and aid the patient until they died,but not administer the medication for them.
Previously, the bill did not include involvement of a judge in the proposal.
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Source: theguardian.com