BMA members reject neutrality

Jun 23, 2016 by

From Care not Killing website.

Delegates at the Annual Representative Meeting in Belfast rejected a move to neutrality on ‘assisted dying’ by 198-115

BMA members attending the influential policy-making gathering were asked, in the course of the Medical Ethics debate today (21 June) to consider two motions related to assisted suicide:

Motion 79 (EAST MIDLANDS REGIONAL COUNCIL) That this meeting, with respect to Physician Assisted Dying, notes the recent rejection by Parliaments of efforts to overturn the law on Physician-Assisted Dying and therefore feels that it is not appropriate at this time to debate whether or not to change existing BMA policy.

Motion 80 (SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL COUNCIL) That this meeting believes that the BMA should adopt a neutral stance on assisted dying.

Several speakers noted that BMA policy exists to represent the views and experience of members, so it was perhaps not entirely surprising that Motion 79, which reflected on MPs’ conclusions, was lost – if only by three votes (164-161). Motion 80, however, was rejected after strong speeches by a resounding 198-115 – that’s 63% to 37%, or more simply, 2-1. Members wishing to speak on Motion 80 were similarly split, with those opposed to neutrality outnumbering those in favour by 2-1. Thus, the BMA remains opposed to assisted suicide, as it has throughout its history (barring a brief period in 2005-6).

Read here 

See also: Assisted suicide wisely thrown out again by BMA, by Peter Saunders, The Conservative Woman

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