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Committee inquiry bias: None of academic panelists oppose assisted suicide

As the first session of the Health and Social Care Committee’s assisted suicide inquiry begins tomorrow, MPs will hear from a panel of academics, none of whom oppose the legalisation of assisted suicide, raising concerns of bias.

Tomorrow, MPs will hear oral evidence on assisted suicide from peers and academics as part of an inquiry into the matter.

Academic bias in favour of assisted suicide

One of the academics, Dr Alexandra Mullock, who has written extensively about assisted suicide, wrote her PhD thesis in 2011 arguing that “the law on assisting in suicide should be redrafted in order to facilitate a… system within which terminally-ill, mentally competent adults might be permitted… to obtain assistance in suicide within the jurisdiction.” More recently, she has participated in a debate for the UK Clinical Ethics Network arguing in favour of making physician-assisted suicide legal.

The second academic, Dr Naomi Richards of Glasgow University, has spoken at a conference of the pro-assisted suicide group “Friends at the End”. In an article ‘Old age rational suicide’, Dr Richards implies she thinks suicide in the elderly can be a rational choice.

The final academic, Professor Nancy Preston, Professor of Supportive and Palliative Care at the University of Lancaster, though she has stated that she tries to remain neutral about the legalisation of assisted suicide, seems to think its legalisation is inevitable. She said “With the question of introducing assisted-dying legislation in Britain being when – not if – it happens…”.

It is not clear at the time of writing whether MPs will be hearing from other academic witnesses who oppose assisted suicide.

Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said “There seems to be a clear bias in favour of speakers supportive of, or open to, assisted suicide. It does not bode well for the rest of this inquiry when the opening event does not have a single academic explicitly opposed to assisted suicide. As the inquiry continues, MPs must hear from academics and other experts able to make the case against assisted suicide. Introducing assisted suicide in England and Wales will be very dangerous for those who are vulnerable and will place a significant burden on doctors who will be the ones expected to be involved in the deaths of their patients.”

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Dear reader,

Despite the Leadbeater assisted-suicide Bill passing its Third Reading on 20 June, it scraped through by just 23 votes (314-291) after enjoying a 55-vote majority at Second Reading. Had 12 more MPs switched sides, the Bill would be dead. It now limps into the Lords with a wafer-thin majority, where peers can amend, delay or reject it outright.

THE CHALLENGE

Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide and will fight hard to stop the Lords overturning the Bill.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion-up-to-birth amendment, passed by MPs in June, also heads to the Lords. If it becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – and at any point up to and during birth.

We will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), who are expected to push for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws in the Lords.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Thousands of vulnerable lives are now at stake. Battling these two threats is the biggest and most expensive effort in our history, and has drained our limited resources. To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £200,000 by midnight this Sunday (13 July 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from these major threats?

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.