The pro-death lobby has packed the advisory Select Committee which has the job of overseeing the Labour-sponsored drive to introduce euthanasia in Britain. The rigged dominance of pro-assisted suicide witnesses among those selected to appear before the Committee scrutinising the Leadbeater Bill has provoked outrage.
Times’ columnist Janice Turner branded the committee’s action “dismaying” and Danny Kruger MP expressed astonishment that the list was “heavily skewed” towards those in favour of assisted suicide.
A committee vote against hearing evidence from the Royal College of Psychiatrists caused such concern that within a matter of hours Kim Leadbeater had backed-down and added the group to the witness list.
Leadbeater claimed the group’s first meeting had been “very positive” and that arrangements were now in place to “ensure the committee will hear from a wide range of witnesses”.
But following the meeting, Danny Kruger observed that of the eight witnesses from countries with an assisted suicide law already in place, all were “in favour”; that most of the nine lawyers chosen back a change in the law; and that there is “nobody from deaf or disabled people’s organisations”.
The Committee also voted against hearing evidence from an elder abuse charity, a domestic abuse charity, and the British Geriatrics Society.
Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, said “the current witness list, could in no way be described as ‘extremely balanced’ and any reasonable person would be deeply troubled by the one-sided nature of those being called”.
Commenting on the Bill, Turner wrote in The Times: “At its first reading I was 55-45 in favour, assuming the committee stage would be an open and free thrashing out of objections, driven by a heartfelt, cross-party desire to create a law that is both safe and humane.
“But everything I read about the conduct of Kim Leadbeater’s committee is dismaying, from the mainly inexperienced MPs chosen to represent the anti side, to an initial vote against taking evidence from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, despite the insight it might have into coercion of the terminally ill.
“Too time-consuming, it was argued. But this is the most momentous law in a generation. There should be all the time in the world.”
We should not be surpised. Although the proposed law is presented as a private Member's bill, the Labour government is keen to get it through. Many of the premature deaths which will result if it becomes law will be of individuals who would have cost the NHS money. "Go do the maths"!