EUTHANASIA AND PALLIATIVE CARE

That this House welcomes the Government's statement that any change to the law on assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia is a matter for Parliament to consider rather than one of Government policy; notes the ongoing efforts of the euthanasia lobby to bring about the legalisation of these practices; further notes that, although campaigners often proclaim their wish to see a change in the law limited to the licensing of assisted suicide for those who are terminally ill, they often appear to be supportive of practices which go beyond these limitations; believes that the existing law, with its flexibility not to prosecute in appropriate instances, provides an optimal combination of deterrence with compassion; opposes as dangerous to vulnerable people any change in the law relating to assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia; endorses the report by The Economist's Economic Intelligence Unit ranking the UK as top of the list of 40 OECD and non-OECD nations for quality of care of the dying; and calls on the Government to continue investing in palliative care.