After ten years as Medical Director of the United Nations, Dr Michael Irwin is well-versed in the connections between medicine and politics. Now he has united them in his campaign for the right to choose a dignified death.

The 68-year-old vice-chairman of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society is an advocate of patient power, believing everyone should have the right to control what doctors do to their bodies.

He has upped the stakes in the euthanasia debate by advising every person in Britain to make a living will.

Currently, half a million people in Britain have a will which enables them to refuse medical treatment when they are no longer able to communicate. But Dr Irwin believes this isn't enough. He said: "Eventually, everyone should have one.

"When I qualified as a doctor, we were treated as little gods and placed on a pedestal one foot high.

"Things have changed since then. Patients have more rights. They can ask more of their doctor and this is one thing they should be asking for."

Dr Irwin came into the public eye two years ago when he admitted he had helped at least 50 people to die over a 40 year period while he was practising as a GP across the world.

He was twice questioned by police in Lewes but has never been charged with any offence.

But according to the retired doctor, a living will is not the same as voluntary euthanasia.

He said: "It's not asking your doctor to do anything illegal. It is simply saying in advance that you do not want life-prolonging treatment to continue indefinitely if you have a massive stroke or Alzheimer's disease and are not in a position to communicate any more."

Dr Irwin, who lives in Cromwell Road, said he was not standing in the election to win, but to educate.

The Independent candidate said: "I don't expect many people to vote for me. I expect they will all vote for Portillo and that's fine. I would be happy to get 100 votes."

Election rules allow candidates to post a leaflet to all 60,000 of Kensington and Chelsea's constituents, saving about £12,000 on postage.

Dr Irwin is posting a living will to each of these households, a document which people can actually use.

It states: "I wish it to be understood that I fear degeneration and indignity far more than I fear death."

As Dr Irwin explained, a living will is only effective if it has been signed by two witnesses, one of whom should be a GP.

He said: "Three copies of the will need to be kept, one with a GP as a permanent medical record, one with a close relative and one with a solicitor."

Working in the U.S. inspired the doctor to campaign for greater acceptance of living wills in Britain.

In America, 50 million people have sworn to refuse treatment after losing their ability to communicate. It has been a federal law since 1991 to ask if a patient has a living will on admission to hospital.

Dr Irwin also has some influential backers for his views.

His campaign leaflet includes a quote from Tony Blair, who emphasises living wills are not a move towards legalising euthanasia.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, is also quoted as saying: "Everyone has a right to refuse medical treatment, even when that may lead to death."

But other groups do not agree with this view. Josephine Quintavalle, a founder of the Pro-Life Alliance, is opposed to Dr Irwin's campaign.

She said: "It seems reprehensible to us to base a political campaign on these principles. We view Dr Irwin as a proponent of death.

"When it comes to voluntary euthanasia, a living will is part of the deal. The whole concept of a living will leads to death."

She added: "Living wills leave terminally-ill people open to exploitation, especially by greedy relations who may want to see elderly relatives bumped off.

"I know that sounds like Agatha Christie, but it can happen.

"Even if people are in sound mind and body when they make the will, who knows how their feelings will change when they are not?"

But Dr Irwin said: "Why should a small religious minority be allowed to hold sway?"

"It is the Government's duty to uphold and protect freedom of choice for each of us by statutory law."

The by-election for the Kensington and Chelsea seat, one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, was called following the death of Conservative MP Alan Clark earlier this year.

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