Over 100 people crowded into the lecture theatre on Tuesday evening to hear Lord Joffe speak on ‘Assisted dying; rights, choices and palliative care’.
The lecture is now available to download as a podcast.
In his lecture, Lord Joffe explained how legislation to allow assisted dying would operate and stressed the many safeguards that would be included.
He discussed the evidence from other countries and states where assisted dying has been legalised and addressed a wide range of possible objections to this controversial proposal.
As Lord Joffe pointed out, feelings and views on the subject are strongly held. This was demonstrated in the response to our online poll, which was set up before the lecture in order to give people a chance to express their views.
Over 4,000 people voted with more than 60 people posting comments. The result – more than 80% against the legalisation of assisted dying – was heavily influenced by votes from organised groups, many from outside the UK.
Next lecture in the series
The lecture launches a new series of open events at the University that will address current major global issues and challenges.
The next lecture will take place on Wednesday 2 December, when Paul Ormerod, author of Butterfly Economics and Why Most Things Fail, will speak on ‘Have economists gone mad?’ Further details will follow soon.
Who would you invite as a speaker?
University staff and students are invited to suggest names for future speakers in the series:
- Who would you most like to hear from and why?
- How does their work resonate with your research or with public interest?
Please make suggestions by emailing Professor Jane Millar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research.