Catholic Medical Quartery Vol 76 (1) February 2026
Editorial
When Your Doctor Thinks It's Good For You
Dr Pravin Thevathasan
We lost so many pro-life or vaguely pro-life politicians at the last
election, and with a huge Labour majority, it was almost inevitable that
the House of Commons would have voted in favour of assisted suicide. The
Conservatives are not much better. According to the Christian Institute,
the Conservative MP Kit Malthouse called on Parliament to censor criticism
of the Committee tasked with scrutinising Kim Leadbetter's assisted
suicide Bill for refusing to look at accommodations for people with Down's
Syndrome, thus disregarding their welfare. This led Lynn Murray,
spokeswoman for Don't Screen Us Out, to say that Malthouse "appeared to be
threatening organisations representing people with Down's Syndrome simply
for criticising the Committee's decision”. One of the most prominent MPs
to oppose assisted suicide, Danny Kruger, concluded that "there will be no
requirement of support for those with learning disabilities to ensure they
understand what they are agreeing to and are making a free choice."
Malthouse is described as a champion of the Leadbetter Bill. The Committee
was heavily criticised for being unfairly stacked with supporters of
assisted suicide.
Remarkably enough, Leadbetter said: "I agree that, under the provisions of the Bill, the doctor will have a duty to lay out options available to the patient as long as all the criteria are met."
So, after the doctor has told the patient that he probably has less than six moths to live, he may have a duty to add: "under the circumstances, have you thought of an assisted suicide?"
It goes without saying that we should not vote for politicians who promote what Pope John Paul called a culture of death.
Reference
- 5 March, 2025, The Christian Institute