Good afternoon friend,
As Sarah Wootton mentioned a few weeks ago, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently announced proposed changes to their guidance for prosecutors with regard to deaths as a result of ‘mercy killings’ and suicide pacts.
As we argued during our Compassion Is Not A Crime campaign, it is only right to differentiate acts of compassion from serious crimes and this is promising progress on the road to law change. The consultation is now live and accepting responses from the public. Please support the campaign today by responding to the consultation yourself.
We’ve put together some guidance to help you respond. The changes the CPS is consulting on would prevent putting someone through a trial if their actions were clearly motivated by compassion to help a loved one end their life, if this was their settled wish.
We welcome this consultation and the chance to review this guidance. The consultation closes on 8th April. You don’t need to be an expert to contribute meaningfully to this process. Anything that you can do to help will strengthen our position and let policymakers know that compassion is not a crime.
While this is a landmark step in the right direction, nothing but a thoroughly safeguarded assisted dying law will ensure that all dying people have access to the support to die in the manner of their choosing.
Thank you for standing with dying people and their families by responding to the consultation today.
All best wishes,
Davina Hehir
Director of Policy and Legal Strategy
Dignity in Dying
