The public wish for a dignified death in the United Kingdom: an analysis of the role of public opinion in the British parliamentary debates about the legalisation of physician assisted suicide (1993-2015).

摘要

In this thesis, the gap between a steady and overwhelming majority of the British public in favourof legalisation of PAS and a political unwillingness to change the legal status quo is explored. Thequestion that stands central in this historically uncharted topic is how this majority of publicopinion was perceived and used in the parliamentary debates on PAS in both the HOL and HOCand how it has influenced these debates over time (1993-2015). From the first two chapters itbecomes clear that mounting public pressure via media, lobby groups and court rulings resulted inmultiple efforts through PMB’s to legalise PAS. In that sense, public pressure was already aninfluential factor in bringing about political debate and attention to the subject. It is further arguedthat from 2003 onwards the question of which role public opinion on PAS should play in thedecision making provided for an authoritarian/liberal line of conflict. Lords and MP’s increasinglyconsidered the argument that a majority of the public was in favour of PAS as one of the mostimportant or in some cases even as a foundational justification to legitimise their claim forlegalisation of PAS. These representatives were supporters of the concepts of liberty and autonomyof the individual to determine one’s own destiny. However, representatives opposing PAS in bothHouses on the other hand showed a total distrust of the public opinion. They denied anyinvolvement of public opinion on the decision making process and even found it potentiallydangerous for policy making. They showed an authoritarian and superior attitude towards theability of the public in making an informed decision on PAS. The increase in MP’s and Lordsvoting against PAS in the researched period shows that despite this intensive and growing debateon public opinion in parliament, public pressure has not been able to bend voting in favour of amajority.