Medical experts warn ‘terminal’ diagnosis is poor standard for suicide schemes

As lawmakers in the UK consider a bill that would legalize assisted suicide, some medical experts have been speaking out in opposition, honing in on the “terminal” designation that would qualify a person for assisted death.

“It is not possible to accurately determine someone’s prognosis as a number of months, say six months or 12 months,” explained Professor Katherine Sleeman, Laing Galazka chairman at King’s College London to The Telegraph. “As a doctor, patients do ask me, ‘How long have I got left?’ and I would never say, ‘Six months or fewer.’ I might say, ‘Your prognosis is probably measured in months, or long months.’ That’s as precise as I would be.”

She continued:

When someone has only a few days, or certainly only a few hours left to live, it can be easier to understand with a higher degree of certainty that they’re likely to die within that time-frame. But when we’re getting into the territory of months, it is very, very difficult…

There is nothing special about six months when it comes to terminal illness, or 12 months, for that matter. Why are we not talking about four months or eight months? This is an arbitrary line in the sand. It’s not a firm foundation. Lines in the sand can obviously shift, so that is potentially a worry.

Professor Chris Parker, a senior oncologist, told The Telegraph he routinely deals with patients who have lived far past their ‘terminal’ diagnosis.

“I have little doubt that some patients would choose assisted suicide if it was legal, because they were told they had less than six months to live, but in truth, if they had not had assisted suicide, would have lived for years and enjoyed a good quality of life, because I’ve seen patients like that,” he said, sharing the story of a patient who was told he would die 10 years ago, yet is alive and well today.

As Live Action News has previously shown, people often live well past a terminal prediction, yet assisted suicide enthusiasts continue to push for a “terminal” diagnosis as a standard for qualification. Sadly, these diagnoses may actually be pushing people toward a premature death. And when assisted suicide is legal, that premature death runs the risk of becoming the standard of care, rather than the exception. Palliative care is an alternative that offers patients comfort, quality, and even the chance to live well longer than expected — without resorting to suicide.

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]

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