Legalized Assisted Suicide - Humane or Slippery Slope

The NHS defines Euthanasia, or Assisted Suicide as, “the act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering.” It is currently illegal under English law.

Many of us have known someone who has died a painful death and we have wondered if there wouldn’t have been something more humane we could have done to alleviate their suffering. Countries like Canada, Spain and Belgium have gone down that path. The UK parliament is currently debating this issue, but is this the correct path? Some have argued against it for moral and/or religious reasons. Others point out its misuse for those with depression.

For our May meetup we will be discussing the Assisted Suicide issue for the first time. Our guest speaker, Kevin Yuill PhD, will be making a secular case against legalized assisted suicide. He argues that it is not necessary, that it creates real harms in areas where it is legal, and that, most importantly, it destroys the moral norm of preventing suicide. He will begin by discussing definitions - what do the terms assisted suicide and euthanasia mean? He will also discuss the Leadbeater Bill currently going through parliament.

Kevin Yuill is professor emeritus of American History at the University of Sunderland. He has a BA (Hons) in American History by Independent Study (UEL), an MPhil in American History (Cambridge), and a PhD in American Studies (Nottingham). He is author of a number of books, including Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Assisted Suicide. He is currently CEO of Humanists Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (HAASE).

Whether or not you agree with Dr Yuill (and many folks do not agree with him), come have your voice be heard. We can all benefit from these kind of open, informative discussions. All good-faith opinions will be respected.

Join CCC Manchester for stimulating and fresh conversation and debate! We’re a friendly, welcoming bunch, and many folks even choose to stay well past 4pm to continue the discussion! Grab a drink at the bar and come upstairs for some lively, open and honest chat. We don't charge for our events but we do ask for a small cash donation on arrival to help pay for the room and Meetup membership.