Public Opinion Favors Enhanced Palliative Care Over Assisted Suicide, New Poll Reveals
A recent survey highlights a significant preference among the UK public for improving palliative care rather than legalizing assisted suicide. Conducted by Whitestone Insight for Care Not Killing (CNK), the poll comes at a critical time as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) prepare to vote on assisted suicide legislation.
The survey, which included over 2,000 UK adults, indicates that a majority of individuals prioritize the availability of high-quality palliative care over the legalization of assisted suicide. A notable 67% of respondents agreed with the statement, “It is essential that high-quality hospice and/or palliative care is universally available before any assisted suicide laws are passed.” This sentiment was echoed by 70% of individuals who voted Labour in 2024, while only 17% opposed the statement.
Additionally, 61% of participants expressed concern over the National Health Service’s (NHS) ability to manage assisted suicide safely due to its current resource constraints, a figure that increased to 64% among disabled individuals. In contrast, 20% disagreed with this assessment.
Half of those surveyed believe that the introduction of assisted suicide should be postponed until palliative care receives adequate funding, with this view increasing to nearly 60% among current Labour supporters.
Furthermore, only 44% of British citizens feel that legalizing assisted suicide would improve the quality of life in the UK.
Dr. Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, remarked that the poll results indicate assisted suicide is becoming “even more toxic” in public opinion.
“Indeed, the public do not trust the ability of an overstretched and underfunded health system to introduce assisted dying safely and want politicians to focus on fixing the broken palliative care system,” he said.
He emphasized the results send a “clear message to Westminster” that the public wants the government to prioritize repairing the palliative care system before considering any legislative changes regarding assisted suicide. He also pointed out the potential risks to vulnerable and disabled individuals, referencing other regions where legalizing assisted death has led to denied medical treatments.
“The political priority must be to give patients a genuine choice through world-class hospice care, not turning doctors into executioners because fixing palliative care is too difficult and costly and the public will punish any party at the ballot box that thinks differently.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
