As you will have seen, the House of Commons voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
I fully understand that this is one of the most important decisions I will make during in my time in Parliament – and I wanted to take the time to set out the reasons why, after much deliberation, I voted for this legislation at 3rd Reading. I have not arrived at this decision lightly and have done so after taking time to consider this highly complex ethical issue, alongside the precise wording of the Bill itself.
On the principle of the issue, I believe it is wrong that people with terminal illnesses who are near to the end of their natural lives do not have the ability to end their lives in a medically safe way. People should be able to avoid unspeakable pain, as well as physical and cognitive decline. Whilst they still have the agency, they should be able to make decisions about whether to end their lives if they find themselves in that position.
Throughout the process of the Bill’s passing in Parliament, elements of the Bill were changed. This includes the introduction of Assisted Dying Review Panels, which will be made up of a senior legal member (High Court Judge or high, or King’s Counsel), a psychiatrist member and a social worker member. I believe that this change will bring more expertise into the process, especially on the assessment of capacity and capacity.
The Bill was also amended to extend the scope of the conscientious objection to the process. Under the Bill, no registered medical practitioner is under any duty to perform any function in connection to the Bill. Furthermore, the Bill was amended to prohibit health professionals from raising the possibility of an assisted death with a patient who is not yet 18.
These two changes make the Bill more proportionate and explicitly recognise the sensitive nature of the subject on the face of the legislation.
The Bill will now continue to the House of Lords, where it will be further scrutinised before becoming law. I hope that it will soon be on the statute book, to ensure people in Selby and Kippax and across England and Wales can have dignity at the end of their lives.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to every resident who has contacted me throughout this period. The decisions I have taken were aided by the hundreds of constituents with differing views who reached out to me on this extremely important matter. I fully appreciate that there is a diversity of opinion in our local area on this important issue and some may not agree with the decision I have taken. However, as your Member of Parliament, my promise to you is that you will always know where I stand on matters as important as these.