A recently retired NHS cardiologist has issued a powerful plea for the legalisation of assisted dying, drawing on decades of frontline experience where he witnessed what he describes as "frightening, horrific" deaths.
A Doctor's Moral Dilemma at the Bedside
Dr Liam Hughes, 72, who spent over 40 years in the health service, has told how he once administered a "very large dose" of painkillers to a terminally ill patient, fully aware it could hasten the man's death. The patient, a father in his 40s suffering from advanced cancer, bowel obstruction, and gangrene, died five hours later.
"I gave him an increase in his syringe driver, my intention was to alleviate his suffering," Dr Hughes explained. "I’d hoped that he would have some peace and five hours later I was relieved for him when he didn't wake up."
He described the treatment as falling under the long-accepted 'doctrine of double effect'. This ethical principle justifies giving drugs like morphine to relieve extreme suffering, even with the known risk of shortening life, because the primary aim is pain relief, not causing death.
Support from Parliament and Fears for the Future
Dr Hughes's stance is supported by Labour MP Dr Peter Prinsley, a retired NHS surgeon, who stated such end-of-life decisions are not unusual for doctors of their generation. "Every doctor who's looked after terminally ill patients... will have been involved in exactly the process," Prinsley said.
However, Dr Hughes expressed a significant concern: he fears the newest generation of doctors may be too scared to make similar compassionate interventions for patients with "horrible symptoms." He believes junior doctors today lack the continuity with patients to confidently understand their wishes and worry about being accused of being "too aggressive" with medication.
"This is both unfair on them and the patients under their care," he stated. "To make these life-reducing decisions you have to spend time with the patient."
A Stark Warning and a Call for Humanity
Dr Hughes, who helped raise more than £2 million for cardiac services during his career, warned of the reality of some terminal illnesses. He described deaths from cancers that erode into blood vessels as "extremely painful, extremely distressing" and "grotesque."
He is now a vocal supporter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill currently moving through Parliament. He accuses the House of Lords of "filibustering" the legislation with delay tactics and questions the humanity of those who suggest choosing to end one's life is irrational.
"It is incredibly rational though if you know you’re dying and your body is failing you and you are existing, not living," he argued.
The retired doctor's powerful testimony highlights the intense ethical debates surrounding end-of-life care, the pressures on modern NHS staff, and the growing campaign to change the law on assisted dying in the UK.
