Supporters of euthanasia make an untrue assertion as they advance their arguments, Pat Buckley (left) of European Life Network writes. They use the lack of palliative care as grounds for killing people. Pat is writing in the context of an article in the Irish Times by Professor Len Doyal, the British-based bioethicist. The latter is quoted as writing: “Why allow any vulnerable patient to suffer a slow death when a quick and painless one could easily be provided were non-voluntary euthanasia to be legalised?”Note here the non-voluntary aspect: Professor Doyal would appear to want it to be possible for people (medics, family, hospital managers, social workers?) to decide that patients can be killed. Pat replies to the professor: “Where palliative care is unavailable, the focus of any humane campaign must be to make it available, not to promote killing as an alternative.”
