Thank you to all those who have contacted me about the Private Members Bill that would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults, and for sharing your views with me.
I want to be honest with people that I voted against the Bill last time it came before the House of Commons and I am minded to vote against it again in future unless significant changes are made. Part of my reason for doing so is that I do not believe a Private Members Bill is the correct method by which a law of this significance should be passed by parliament.
Since this issue first arose last year, I have listened carefully to the views of residents of East Thanet, many of whom have shared deeply moving stories of pain and loss that continue to shape my thinking about this difficult issue. On 2 November last year I invited every constituent who had emailed me about assisted dying to a listening event in Margate to tell me their views. The experiences I heard at the event underscored for me my belief that the current situation for people with terminal illnesses is unacceptable and action by the government is needed to ensure as many people as possible have the choice of a peaceful death that we would all want to have at the end of our lives.
As Kim Leadbeater MP has explained, her bill is seeking to give people who are terminally ill the option to end their own life at a time of their choosing, and protections against coercion or abuse. With those things included, I am sympathetic to what the bill is aiming to achieve and with my colleagues who voted to support it.
Nevertheless, I cannot shake the feeling that while the state of our health service and access to quality palliative and hospice care is so poor, legalising assisted dying at this time might leave vulnerable people in the unacceptable position of factoring the quality of care they might receive into a choice about whether to end their own life. I cannot simply overlook that reality because I am sympathetic to the broader principle of allowing people greater choice over the end of life.
I have spoken to doctors in recent months who have expressed serious concerns that at present there is suffering taking place during end-of-life care that could be avoided if medical staff were better trained and equipped. If I was ever to support assisted dying legislation, I would need to be confident that medical practitioners know how they can support people in their final months, weeks, and days. Until then, improving end of life care will remain my overriding priority.
Likewise, I have listened particularly carefully to the views on disabled people, who in many cases have underlined their lack of trust in the medical profession to act in their best interests. It is clear that urgent work is needed to remove discrimination from our medical system towards those with disabilities, who often fear that rather than giving them choice, assisted dying legislation could actually remove protection from them.
We cannot dismiss concerns about coercion lightly, and I am concerned that as part of the Bill Committee process Kim Leadbeater has tabled an amendment that removes the involvement of a High Court judge from the process and replaces them with an expert panel who would adjudicate on assisted dying cases. While I am supportive of the involvement of psychiatrists and social workers in this process, I am nevertheless worried that – if passed – this amendment represents a further weakening of a piece of legislation that I already did not believe contained sufficient protections from abuse. You can hear me talking about my concerns with this amendment in a recent radio interview by clicking here.
I know there will be those who are disappointed that I am not supporting this Bill in parliament. But please rest assured that – whether or not this Bill becomes law – I will continue to champion improving the quality of care and the choices available to the terminally ill.