How to fill out the form in the consultation document
Unfortunately the consultation document produced by the Crown Prosecution Service is confusing and not easy to follow. However, the guidelines are due to be changed in response to this public consultation. The consultation is therefore a real chance to prevent legalisation of assisted suicide by stealth.
As well as detailed guidance, you will find on this page a completed consultation form to help you when considering your submission.
How are the consultation questions set out?
Q.1 gives the list of factors in favour of prosecution
Q.2 asks if there are any missing
Q.3 gives the list of those that ‘carry more weight’
Q.4 asks if there are any weighty factors missing
Q.5 gives the list of factors in against prosecution
Q.6 asks if there are any missing
Q.7 gives the list of those that ‘carry more weight’
Q.8 asks if there are any weighty factors missing
Q.9 asks for any further comments
Most of the answers can be entered in the MS Word form by selecting from the drop down menu to the right of the question. The short video above shows how to do this. If you do not want to give your views on any question, you can leave it blank.
Which is the most important question?
The most important question is Question 5, as this lists the reasons against prosecution. It is this list that could lead to the legalisation of assisted suicide by the back door. However much of the rest of the form you fill in, you should at least make sure that you have filled in your name and filled in the Y/N answers to Q. 5. Make it clear that you say No (N) to the suggestion that that the victim’s disability or illness should be a factor against prosecution (4), or that being a spouse should be a factor against (6), or that a history of suicide attempts should be a factor against (11).
Another important question
Question 4 is important, too. It enables you to point to factors favouring prosecution which should have been given weight, but were not. Factors 11, 12, 14 and 16 should all have been given weight, because in future there will be persons and organisations who want to dedicate themselves to promoting or assisting suicide. They need to be firmly deterred.
Are there other questions that would be useful to answer?
It is useful to answer all of the questions, if you have time, because the guidelines work as a whole. For example, for consistency, the factor of ill-health of disability should be removed from all the lists – in favour of prosecution, carrying more weight, against prosecution, and carrying more weight. It should simply not be relevant to prosecution whether or not the victim had a disability.
Suggestions for filling out the form
Of course you must answer these questions as you see best. This is an important issue, with serious implications for public safety and for the value placed on human life. Much thought has gone into preparing this advice which represents a morally safe path through a complex document.
If you do not wish to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a question, please do not select from the drop down menu. ‘Please select’ will be taken as leaving a blank i.e. not answering a question - you will see this in the completed form below.
Completed form with suggestions
The document below offers a set of suggestions for you to consider in making your response.
Assisting suicide consultation: An example of a completed form (pdf)
Note: This is a pdf document. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view. Download the latest version from Adobe.
What else do I need to fill in apart from the tick boxes?
Remember to fill in your contact details on page 7. This may be needed if the response is to be counted. There is also a box (Question 9) where you can write general comments and it would be good here to put down if you are a carer, someone with a disability or a health condition, a healthcare professional or have personal experience with the issue. It would be good to add here any general comments, for example that the balance should be in favour of prosecution, especially if someone has assisted suicide as part of an organisation dedicated to doing so.