The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has made no official comment on the findings of the study conducted by Brunel University in England and published in the medical journal Palliative Medicine, according to which some 3,000 patients, eight per day, were subjected to euthanasia in 2004. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK. The figures speak for themselves: of the 585,000 deaths in 2004, 2865 persons (0.5% of the total) were helped to die by medical practitioners. The survey was conducted by interviewing 857 doctors (specialists and non) who were able to maintain their anonymity. Of these assisted deaths 936 were the follow up to an explicit request made by the invalid, while 1929 cases were of patients who had allegedly expressed the wish to die, but had not succeeded in giving precise instructions to this effect because, for example, they had fallen into a coma. Strong criticisms of the findings have been voiced by the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, one of the most important charities of the Pro-Life Movement in England: “One often hears it said says a statement issued by the Society to SIR that euthanasia is practised in British hospitals. This is one of the worst kept secrets of the medical profession in this country. It is incredible that one of the richest countries in the world should decide to rid itself of patients who could be treated and, if not cured, at least helped to live with dignity”. Last October nine leaders of six of the most important religious groups in Britain condemned the bill aimed at legalising voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide in Great Britain. Catholic, Anglican, Moslem, Hindu and Jewish religious leaders declared that “to legalize assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia would alter in a radical way the moral basis of our society by seriously threatening respect for life”.
