How Vested Religious Interests Block Progress In Medical Ethics

National Secular Society ★ Patient autonomy should be central to medical decisions. But religion has long presented the main obstacle to the realisation of this basic principle, says Dr Antony Lempert.

In the space of three days, the House of Commons passed two momentous pieces of legislation which would have a significant impact on how the law treats decisions related to our own bodies.

On 17th June, MPs voted 379 to 117 to partially decriminalise abortion. And on 20th June, in a narrow vote of 314 to 291, Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill paved the way for a law to permit assisted dying. Both bills will now be further scrutinised in the House of Lords before final Commons' votes and royal assent.

Such major societal changes that intersect with medical care rarely progress when facing professional objections. The British Medical Association (BMA), the UK's largest union and professional body for doctors, originally opposed assisted dying. This was cited as a strong determining factor in MPs' earlier rejection of more permissive legislation on assisted dying – despite longstanding overwhelming public support.

Most BMA policy is formed during formal debates at the Annual Representatives Meeting (ARM).

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