New research challenges claims regarding the impact of assisted dying on palliative care

A recent paper published in Bioethics by University of Glasgow Professor Ben Colburn reviews the arguments made against assisted dying in relation to its perceived effects on palliative care.

Opponents to assisted dying cite a range of claims in order to suggest that palliative care provision is worsened by the introduction of assisted dying laws. In his review, Prof. Colburn identifies five versions of this assertion and reviews the evidence and argumentation made in support of them.

Interrogating each assertion in turn, Colburn demonstrates that: a) the stated claims are weak, relying heavily on insinuation rather than argumentation, and; b) the evidence cited by proponents of these claims does not support (and, in some cases, may contradict) the assertions being made.

Concluding, Colburn writes:

“[These] arguments are frequently characterised by rhetorical tactics of dubious propriety. In particular, it seems that these concerns about palliative care have at least some of their purchase—their ‘oft-invoked’ status—precisely just because they are talked about so much… The current study shows that there is no evidence to support the view that legalised assisted dying either causes, or is caused by, poor palliative care”

For more detail, you can read the full article (free to view) here.