Welcome to the first episode in the latest series of CMF's ist incision podcast. We've been away for quite a few months, but there is a lot to talk about, and we start with an issue that remains at the top of the news.
Every few weeks we see another headline about assisted suicide. Someone with a serious illness has been to Zurich to die at the Dignitas clinic, complaining that they should be able to choose when and how they die in the UK, but the law won't allow it. Polls show that the majority of the British population would like people to have that option. And politicians and celebrities campaign for changes in the law to allow this.
Why should this not happen? Why have changes to the law on helping someone to end their own life when they are already dying or suffering not happened yet in Britain?
In today's first incision I am talking to Gordon McDonald, the CEO of Care Not Killing, a campaign group opposing a change to the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia, and Dr Mark Pickering, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship and a prison GP.
For more details about Our Duty of Care (ODOC) see ourdutyofcare.org.uk
CMF has run a number of blogs on end-of-life issues, as well as other resources on our website.