Webinar #172 Dr Gordon Macdonald - Opposing the legalisation of euthanasia

Recorded on 26 October 2023 for ICMDA Webinars. Dr Peter Saunders chairs a webinar with Dr Gordon Macdonald. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are increasingly being legalised in Western nations. This talk will look at the impact of this prioritisation of autonomy and choice within healthcare, at vulnerable people being placed at risk as a result and how the number of deaths quickly escalates once the law has been changed. Dr Gordon Macdonald is the Chief Executive of Care Not Killing, a post he has held since April 2019. Prior to that Gordon worked in political advocacy work focusing on the Scottish Parliament. In that role, he chaired the Care Not Killing Scotland committee which led the campaign against two previous Bills which sought to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide at Holyrood. He has a PhD in political economy and has been active in politics in a personal capacity for a number of years. Care Not Killing was set up in 2006 as a political campaign by a number of organisations which were concerned by Lord Joffe's attempt to change the law to legalise assisted suicide through his Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill and to campaign for improvements in palliative care. Gordon has overseen the development of the organisation, including the establishment of the Our Duty of Care campaign, a campaign for health professionals who wish to oppose the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia. ⁠To listen live to future ICMDA webinars, visit⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://icmda.net/resources/webinars/