Week 21 - Assisted dying debate

It was a long week in Parliament last week, ending with the debate on Assisted Dying on Friday.

I voted for the bill, and that means that the debate will continue, the proposed safeguards will be tested through the committee process, and it will come back to the Commons at a later date.

I received many hundreds of letters and emails on this subject on both sides of the debate.

I spoke to many of my colleagues in Parliament, and to campaigners including Liz Carr the actress and Prue Leith the celebrity chef.

Liz Carr had made a very thoughtful and hard-hitting documentary against the idea of assisted dying.  The impact on disabled people and the potential to increase pressure on their rightful place in society is a valid concern.  

Prue Leith – arguing for the choice of assisted dying – made the point that for those diagnosed with an imminently terminal illness would benefit from the comfort of being able to control the end of their lives and make the most of their remaining time, rather than live in the shadow of an uncontrolled, often traumatic ending to their lives.

It was interesting, and shows the extent of divided opinion, that it was the MP Danny Kruger who led the debate against the Bill, Prue Leith is his mother.

I listened closely to the debate in the chamber which was carried out in calm and thoughtful terms.  Some of the experiences that MPs described were harrowing, and the suffering of some at the end of their lives can be truly traumatic.

I read the letters and emails from residents before the debate.

The emails from people asking me to support the bill often spoke of personal experiences of family members at the end of their lives, with terminal illnesses.

Emails against the bill spoke of a lack of consultation, lack of time, a potential slippery slope, religious objections, potential coercion and a need to boost the Hospice care system.

I fully support the need to boost funding for hospice care and have been a long-time supporter of Rowcroft locally.  If the bill does nothing else, it has boosted that conversation, and I am sure that we will see a revised system of funding proposed in the near future.

Hospice care is the right answer for many people and provides a critical service.

I don’t think that the Assisted dying bill takes anything away from the need for a properly funded Hospice care system.

I was concerned about the safeguards, but they are robust and will be further tested.  Fundamental is the title of the Bill, “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill”.  The title of a bill is fixed and limits the contents to that topic.  It cannot be extended beyond that without going back to the chamber.  The process of two doctors and a judge to be persuaded, along with a large jail sentence for coercion forms a robust process.

The debate will continue…