WHY I VOTED AGAINST THE ASSISTED DYING BILL

The Assisted Dying Bill has passed its third reading and will now go to the Lords. 

After months of listening to medical experts and campaign groups, and reviewing the detail carefully, I once again voted against it. 

If passed, this Bill will allow an adult with a terminal illness to end their life provided a medical diagnosis states that they have less than six months to live.

Many in support of the Bill claimed it contains “the strongest set of safeguards and protections in the world”. However, since its last reading back in November, the requirement for two medical professionals and High Court judge overseeing each case was dropped in favour of just a panel including a lawyer, a psychiatrist and a social worker. This is not a small tweak — it is a fundamental shift. 

The person with the terminal illness would also need to have a mental capacity to make a free choice to die, with no coercion. But what does “free choice” really mean if someone feels like a burden? Or if they are trying to spare their family emotional or financial strain? These pressures can be subtle and almost impossible to prove. 

Professional organisations such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians have also made recent interventions against the legislation. 

I also voted against this Bill because there are too many unknowns. 

What if the doctor gets the life expectancy wrong? 

What if the medical professional assessing the case has a casual or even favourable attitude towards assisted dying? 

Then, there is the risk of this becoming a 'slippery slope’. It is conceivable that once assisted dying is legalised for some, it could easily be widened. Belgium removed age limits on euthanasia requests in 2014 — meaning children could now be helped to end their life. Meanwhile, in Canada, there are cases of people with treatable conditions being offered death instead of care. 

This is of course a highly complex and personal issue with reasonable and compassionate views on both sides of the debate. However, I believe that we should be looking after the most vulnerable in society. This Bill brings serious risks and irreversible consequences with it, and that’s why I voted against it.