Today, MPs are debating the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP and backed by a group of cross-party MPs for the second time. The bill would give adults in England and Wales who have less than six months to live and who are mentally competent the right to end their own life.
Currently, seeking assistance to die is illegal in the UK, however, the practice has been legalised in a number of countries across the world. According to the Dignity in Dying campaign every eight days a Briton travels to the Swiss assisted dying service Dignitas for help to die.
The bill, which is said to include the most robust regulations around the practice in the world, follows findings from an inquiry from the Health and Social Care Select Committee which suggested that legalisation of assisted dying in other countries has led to improvement and further investment in end-of-life care, and is considered a safe practice.
Under the bill, in order to be referred for assisted dying, the individual must put forward a request that will be assessed by two doctors at least seven days apart, then the request must be approved by the High Court, after which there would then be a 14-day reflection period.
Following the 14 days, the individual can make a second declaration to request assistance to end their life which must meet the satisfaction of doctors regarding eligibility criteria, then the medications will be prescribed for self-administration.
However, the controversial bill has strong responses both for and against it, with many urging for compassion, safety, and choice at the end of life, while others have raised concerns over the coercion of disabled and marginalised individuals who may feel pressure to end their own lives because of inadequate support.
A number of groups are campaigning against the bill including Disabled People Against Cuts, which has stated that: “Disabled people have the same right to make their own decisions as anyone else. However, they may face additional barriers due to societal attitudes, lack of accessible information, or limited support.
“Supporting disabled people to make their own decisions is crucial. This can involve providing information in accessible formats, offering reasonable adjustments, and ensuring that decisions are made in a supportive and inclusive environment.
“It’s important to challenge assumptions about the capacity of disabled people. Every individual, regardless of their disability, should be empowered to have their voice heard and their choices respected.”
Palliative Care Consultant, Dr Matthew Doré, also raised issues about the non-compliance of care givers and potential penalties if healthcare professionals refuse to refer patients on for lethal medications.
Dr Matthew Doré is a Palliative Care Consultant he gives his reasons why he does not support the Assisted Dying/Suicide Bill#MP’s will vote on Friday 29th November
The remaining NI MPs not to disclose their votes@JimAllister | @ClaireHanna | @columeastwood |… pic.twitter.com/QNJQ7Lav2j
— Dermot Devlin he/him (@castleDD) November 23, 2024
Disability Rights UK CEO, Kamran Mallick, recently published a letter in The Times newspaper against the bill, stating: “Although there is talk of the robustness of checks and balances in the assisted dying bill to prevent Disabled people being coerced, as a leading organisation for Disabled people in Britain we know from bitter experience that words and laws do not always add up to protecting Disabled people.
“This was evident during the pandemic, where we were often denied life-saving care, and where 60 per cent of all deaths from Covid were those of Disabled people, who comprise 24 per cent of the population. We have huge empathy for Disabled people who live with pain and wish to make an informed choice to have control over the end of their lives.
“However, given the severe inequalities for Disabled people within society, especially relating to the quality of health and independent living support, we can no longer maintain a neutral stance, and believe that upholding quality of life should be the focus of the government.
“Giving us dignified and equitable lives should come before putting in place ways of assisting us to die.”
Journalist Dame Esther Rantzen, who has stage four lung cancer, is one of the Brits that has made the decision to make their own choice about the end of their life, telling BBC Radio 4 earlier this year that she had signed up to Dignitas.
Rantzen sent a letter to MPs urging them to attend the debate, writing that: “This is such a vital life and death issue, one that we the public care desperately about, so it is only right that as many MPs as possible listen to the arguments for and against, and make up your own minds, according to your own conscience, your personal thoughts and feelings.”
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, stated about the bill: “This debate so often focuses on the arguments for and against, that it can be forgotten that there are thousands of people, right now, who are suffering under the status quo and willing MPs with every fibre of their being to vote for this Bill. As Esther says, all they are asking for is choice.
“Esther has called this her final campaign, and she has undoubtedly helped drive the need for change up the political agenda. The fight for greater choice at the end of life is a fitting addition to her legacy of campaigning for people’s rights.
“Parliament has a historic opportunity to end the injustice of the ban on assisted dying and introduce new protections for dying people and for us all. People who want and need choice as they die, loved ones who have witnessed the devastation caused when choice is denied, and the British public are united in calling on MPs to vote for compassion, for protection, for dignity.”
The debate has also generated calls for the “Right to Try” psilocybin – a psychoactive compound found in mushrooms which has been gaining increasing interest as an innovative treatment in palliative care as well as for conditions such as traumatic brain injury, addiction, and mental health conditions.
Canada has already introduced psilocybin onto its Special Access Programme (SAP) for end-of-life anxiety.
Writing for LBC news, Timmy Davis of the Psilocybin Access Rights (PAR Global) campaign, stated: “At the heart of the debate is a shared aim of protecting people at a vulnerable time of life, particularly in making end-of-life care decisions – but we can’t do this without also allowing them to explore every treatment option available, giving them every opportunity to increase the quality and longevity of their life, and to make a decision with an unclouded mind.
“Distress, depression and anxiety are often cited as significant factors in the euthanasia debate, so we must prioritise expanding treatment options that can improve mental wellbeing and ease suffering.
“A clear example of this is psilocybin, a natural compound that – when used in a therapeutic setting – was found to reduce anxiety and depression in 80 per cent of patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.
“Allowing prescriptions of psilocybin could have a significant impact on the quality of life of people with terminal diagnoses. In Canada, where terminally ill patients have access to medically assisted dying they also have the ability to access this potential treatment for their end of life anxiety.”
CEO of Kaleidoscope, Martin Blakebough, a charity methadone drug clinic that provides support to people with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and drug addiction, shared his views in support of the bill, stating: “At the heart of the issue is the question of individual choice and the right to make decisions about one’s own life. I support the assisted dying bill because I believe that it is an important step towards harm reduction and the protection of individual autonomy.
“The concept of harm reduction is based on the idea that people should be able to make choices about their own lives, even if those choices may involve some level of risk. Harm reduction recognises that people have the right to make decisions about their own health and well-being, and that it is the role of society to provide them with the tools and support they need to make those decisions safely.
“In the context of assisted dying, harm reduction means providing people with the option to end their lives in a safe and dignified manner, under the care of medical professionals. This is a far better alternative to the current situation, where people may be forced to take matters into their own hands, often with tragic consequences. And of course making people choose between the wellbeing of the person they love or breaking the law and being deemed as being murderers.”
If the bill receives a positive vote today, it will progress for further scrutiny and additional reading in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, after which, if passed, it will become law.
