British Section of the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life

“Sign on the dotted line and vote to die” said the Daily Mail editorial on 10th March 2006. “Make doubly certain by carrying a ‘kill me off’ card at all times. And rest assured: a Doctor who refuses to act as your executioner risks criminal prosecution.

“A macabre fantasy? Not at all. This is the reality of the Government’s Mental Capacity Act, arguably one of the most sinister laws ever foisted on the nation.”

During the debate on the Joffe Bill on 12th May 2006, Baroness Williams of Crosby said “… I have a letter from a distinguished nurse… saying that already under the terms of the Mental Capacity Act there has been a notable dip towards bringing the lives of some patients to an end. She writes from the hospital where she has worked for many years:

“All of a sudden we nurses aren’t allowed to pass NG tubes unless the Consultant has approved it. This is just a new protocol since The Mental Capacity Act.”

She goes on to say that she has been forbidden by consultants from sustaining life on the part of patients who have not asked to die. This is the slippery slope in practice…”

In the Nursing Times of 28th March 2006 Richard Staines wrote: “Despite the legal reassurances, nurses are nervous. They fear the new law will damage their relationships with patients as it represents a major cultural shift in the concept of care.”