Assisted dying law change backed by 'citizens' jury'

The first “citizens’ jury” on assisted dying in England has backed a change in the law to allow people who are terminally ill to end their life.

A jury of 28 people concluded it should be an option for those judged to have capacity to make their own decisions.

While it has no legal powers, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which set up the jury, said it represented a crucial new piece of evidence in the debate as it allowed the public to consider the issues more deeply than they could in surveys.

However, campaigners questioned the validity of the exercise, as a majority of those recruited were already in favour of changing the law.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, of the Care Not Killing campaign group, said: "A jury in a court of law must be rigorously impartial with no strong views about the case they are judging.

"So, what could have been a serious contribution to this important debate seemingly fails the impartiality test."

However, Nuffield Council on Bioethics director Danielle Hamm said that in such a “highly complex, sensitive and ethically charged” debate as assisted dying, a citizens' jury allowed more in-depth consideration to be given to the issue, as well as exploring the reasons for people forming their views.

The council said it had set up the jury because of the growing interest in the issue.

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Source: BBC News, 13 September 2024