How Do Opponents Of The Mental Capacity Act Think It Will Lead To Active Forms Of Euthanasia?
Opponents of the Mental Capacity Act think it will result in some people dying by starvation or dehydration. They see this as a slow, uncomfortable and inhumane death. They say that the omission of food and water (unless burdensome to the patient) is a denial of basic care. It often leads to its victims becoming dehydrated. Anti-euthanasia campaigners argue that once people see this kind of death, they will think of it as indeed brutal and inhumane and will say: “Well let’s just bump them off quickly.” Then the pressure upon politicians to legalise the killing of patients by lethal injection or an overdose of drugs will increase. They see it as a logical progression. Once you legalise euthanasia by omission, it leads to a greater acceptance in society that the sick, disabled, the elderly, the dying are a burden to society and are using up the National Health Service’s resources.
