As a campaigning organisation, CNK is not a charity, but relies entirely upon our member organisations and the generosity of concerned individuals like you.
Our Track Record includes organising public events, media campaigns, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, parliamentary briefings, polls and educational symposia. Successful outcomes include
- 2005-06 Lord Joffe's Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill defeated 148-100
- 2009 Lord Falconer's Coroners and Justice Bill amendment defeated by 194-141
- 2010 Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill defeated 85-16
- 2010-12 Falconer Commission on Assisted Dying - biased report exposed and neutralised
- 2006-14 Successful resistance to changes to the BMA, RCP and RCGP stances opposing assisted suicide
- 2012 CNK hosted the first European Symposium on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, bringing together campaigners from around the world
- 2012-14 CNK intervened successfully in court cases of Tony Nicklinson, Paul Lamb and 'Martin' at the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court
- 2012 CNK commissioned polling of the 2010 Commons, suggesting 2-1 opposition among MPs
- 2013 CNK funded launch of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Europe
- 2013-15 Lord Falconer's revived Assisted Dying Bill ran out of time following letter-writing campaigns and rallies outside Parliament which further cemented links with healthcare professionals, disability activists and faith groups. CNK commissioned or supported commissioning of polls which found that public support falls away when confronted with the realities of assisted suicide
- 2014-15 Pro-assisted suicide measures defeated in the Manx House of Keys and Welsh Assembly
- 2014-15 Patrick Harvie's Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill confronted with rallies, a petition signed by more than 15,000 and oral evidence in committee. Defeated 82-36
- 2015 Rob Marris MP's Assisted Dying (No. 2) Bill, the first assisted suicide bill to be debated in the Commons in 18 years, met by a letter-writing and social media campaign, MP briefings and a joint CNK-NDY rally. Defeated 330-118
- 2017-18 CNK intervened successfully in Noel Conway's attempt at the High Court and Court of Appeal to have the Suicide Act declared incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights
- 2019-20 CNK campaigned to persuade doctors to uphold opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia when the Royal Colleges of Physicians and General Practitioners, and the British Medical Association, consulted their members. Opposition remained the most favoured stance for RCP and RCGP members, the latter reaffirming its opposition in February 2020
2021 CNK campaigned ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections to highlight the danger of a change in the law on assisted suicide, and later in the year co-hosted a webinar for MSPs with Not Dead Yet UK featuring three experts speaking on the Dutch and Canadian experiences, and disability rights.
Westminster: a new 'Assisted Dying Bill' was launched by Baroness Meacher in 2021, with second reading granted (in line with convention) in October. While committee stage is awaited, a second front has been opened with an 'assisted dying' amendment has proposed to the Government's Health & Care Bill in the Lords.
Holyrood bill: Liam McArthur MSP unveiled his plans for a new assisted suicide bill in 2021, and a public consultation on its terms closed in December. A report on the many thousands of responses is awaited, prior to debate in the Scottish Parliament.
Medical organisations: Advocates of legal change have been clear that neutralising medical opinion is vital to their cause; following the British Medical Association's move to neutrality in September 2021, it is all the more important to amplify the voices of doctors and nurses opposed to a change in the law - most importantly through the work of our colleagues at Our Duty of Care.
Courts: proponents' immediate response to the informed and considered rejection of the Marris Bill in 2015 was to threaten new legal challenges, and they openly advertised for terminally ill individuals to 'get involved'. CNK intervened in the subsequent case of Noel Conway, at the High Court and Court of Appeal, both of which dismissed his application for a declaration of incompatibility between the Suicide Act and the ECHR before the Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal in November 2018. In a less welcome development, the Supreme Court ruled in 'Y' that clinically assisted nutrition and hydration could be withdrawn from patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness where doctors and families agreed, without recourse to the Court of Protection; the ruling influenced new, troubling guidance from the BMA.
Foreign laws: The list of jurisdictions which have legalised assisted suicide and/or euthanasia has seen new additions in the US and Australia, while shocking new statistics and stories continue to pour forth from the Low Countries. The reality of such places' experiences must continue to be presented.
Care Not Killing consistently achieves far more than its resources warrant: our principal costs are the salaries of two full-time, paid employees; rental costs for our London office; and media support. Other costs include the ad hoc support of designers and researchers, accountancy fees, travel expenses, printing and mailing costs. These stand apart from the many services provided, on account of long-standing relationships developed in the years since CNK was established, without or at greatly reduced charge. These include pro bono legal services, media spokespersons, AV technical support, material costs relating to public events (rallies) and incidental administrative assistance.
We punch well above our weight, but we need your support.
You can use the form below to donate to the work of Care Not Killing. Individual donations of any size are greatly appreciated; commitments to regular giving help to secure our funding base still further. Thank You. (Problem with the donation mechanism? Just drop us an email using the 'contact' function.)
If you would prefer, you can post a cheque (made out to CNK Alliance Ltd) to Care Not Killing, 6 Marshalsea Road, London, SE1 1HL. Please includes contact details if you wish your gift - for which we thank you - to be acknowledged. If you would like to discuss alternative means of donating, do please get in touch.
