Choosing Life, Choosing Death, book review

Dr. Murdo Macdonald, Policy Officer of the Science Religion and Technology Project, has sent us a link to to a book review that addresses important issues in our understanding of the reasons behind an educated choice against assited suicide. It’s a review of a book, “Choosing Life, Choosing Death: The Tyranny of Autonomy in Medical Ethics and Law” by Charles Foster. A couple of quotes from the review (I haven’t read the book itself...!)

"(Autonomy)… is commonly translated in the legal arena in positive terms of self-determinism and negative constraints of non-interference…..autonomy has arguably established itself as the dominant principle in medical ethics, operated above all else. This 'tyrannous' rule of autonomy is Foster's subject matter"

“Foster argues that autonomy, as a guiding principle, is at best unhelpful in determining a course of action (it lacks the prescriptive function the law so requires) and at worst leads to unsavoury conclusions.”

Care not Killing Campaign

A bid to block Members of the Scottish Parliament discussing a new law for assisted suicide in Scotland has been launched through the Care not Killing Campaign. The bill was put forward by MSPS Margo MacDonald and it is expected to come to Parliament in January. Please consult the Care Not Killing website in order to take action and support the campaign.