Care Not Killing
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Care Not Killing is an alliance of multiple groups, including faith-based and pro-life organisations, opposed to legalising euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in the United Kingdom. The alliance was founded in 2006.[1]
Care Not Killing operates through a UK private limited company, CNK Alliance Limited.[2]
The stated goals of Care Not Killing include promoting more and better palliative care, ensuring that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed during the lifetime of the current Parliament, influencing the balance of public opinion against any weakening of the law.[3] They are opposed in their efforts by pro-assisted dying groups such as Dignity in Dying and Humanists UK.
Background
[edit]Between 2003 and 2006 legislative attempts to legalise physician-assisted dying were made after the prominent human rights lawyer Lord Joffe proposed a Private Member's Bill in titled the "Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill" in the House of Lords.[4][5] After the bill was first put forward and debated in February 2003, the bill was put forward again in November 2005 but in May 2006, an amendment delaying its introduction by six months was carried and progress of the bill was ultimately halted.[6]
At the same time as the Private Member's Bill was being debated for the second time, January 2006 saw the launch of Dignity in Dying, itself a relaunch of the former The Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society, calling for improvements in end-of-life care, including, but not limited to, the option of assisted dying.[7][8]
Care Not Killing was founded in January 2006 largely in reaction events at the time with the BBC reporting that Care Not Killing needed to take action to counter the pro-euthanasia lobby, which it said was now making a determined attempt to change the law to allow doctors to "kill their patients".[1][7]
Our Duty of Care
[edit]Our Duty of Care (ODOC) is a sister group set up, administered and funded by Care Not Killing (CNK), representing a group of healthcare workers who oppose assisted suicide or euthanasia. The pressure group was formed in 2019 to oppose and subsequently make legal threats against the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) after the RCP conducted a poll asking its 36,000 members "what should the RCP’s position be on whether or not there should be a change in the law to permit assisted dying?" that ultimately led to the RCP adopting a neutral stance on the issue after no majority opinion was recorded (43.4% of respondents thought the RCP should be opposed to a change in the law to permit assisted dying, 31.6% were in favour, and 25% took a neutral view).[9][10][11]
As of 2024, ODOC campaigns are administered by Gillian Wright, a former palliative care doctor based in Scotland and David Randall, a consultant nephrologist working in London.[12][13]
Funding
[edit]In 2021, The Times newspaper reported Care Not Killing received a donation of almost £90,000 from Brian Souter, the Scottish businessman and Stagecoach Group founder who has funded multiple socially conservative campaigns including those against abortion and the repeal of anti-gay legislation.[14]
Alliance members
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The members of the alliance include:
- Christian Medical Fellowship
- The Church of England
- The Church of Scotland
- RADAR (The Disability Network)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Cassidy, Jane (22 December 2010). "Care Not Killing". BMJ. 341: c7284. doi:10.1136/bmj.c7284. ISSN 0959-8138.
- ^ "Companies House webpage for CNK Alliance Limited".
- ^ "about us - Care NOT Killing - Promoting care, Opposing euthanasia - Care Not Killing". www.carenotkilling.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL]". Public Bills before Parliament. United Kingdom Parliament. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2007.
- ^ "Bid to legalise assisted suicide". BBC News. 20 February 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2007.
- ^ Woodward, Will (13 May 2006). "Lords vote to block assisted suicide bill for terminally ill". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Anti-euthanasia alliance launched". 31 January 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Voluntary Euthanasia Society changes name after 70 years to become Dignity in Dying (23 Jan)". Dignity in Dying. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Iacobucci, Gareth (21 March 2019). "RCP adopts neutral stance on assisted dying after poll of members". BMJ. 364: l1340. doi:10.1136/bmj.l1340. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 30898784.
- ^ "2019 assisted dying survey results. No majority view moves RCP position to neutral". www.rcp.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "BMA report on public and professional opinion on physician-assisted dying" (PDF). bma.org.uk. BMA 20230452. British Medical Association. 2023.
- ^ Written evidence submitted by Care Not Killing (CNK) and Our Duty of Care (ODOC) to UK parliamentary committee; January 2023. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/116911/pdf/
- ^ Response to Scottish Parliament on behalf of Care Not Killing (CNK Alliance Ltd) and Our Duty Of Care on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill as tabled by Liam McArthur MSP; December 2021. Available at: https://Response-14023-Care-Not-Killing-CNK-and-Our-Duty-of-Care-ODoC-Non-Smart-Survey.pdf/
- ^ Horne, Marc (7 July 2021). "Tycoon gifts £90k to fight assisted dying". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 12 November 2024.