COMMUNISTS SAKE) AS I POINTED OUT IN VIDEOS - ...
Assisted dying bill passes in historic moment after tireless Express campaign
The private members' bill on assisted dying (Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill) is due to have its second reading today.
This was the first such debate in the Commons on the issue in almost a decade – with a vote at the end on whether it should pass through to be scrutinised by a committee.
MPs were given a free vote on the issue, allowing them to decide according to their conscience rather than in line with party policy.
Laws throughout the UK currently prevent people from asking for medical help to die.
But Dame Esther Rantzen urged MPs to attend the assisted dying debate and vote this afternoon, saying it is unlikely the issue will come before Parliament again in the next decade.
The broadcaster, who is terminally ill, has backed the Express's Give Us Our Last Rights crusade which calls for a change in the law.
Tom Steen of Dignity in Dying says the campaign continues but this is
Tom Steen from the Dignity in Dying campaign said he felt "immense pride".
He said: "I think finally people have stood up, and MPs have listened."
Pointing to the huge crowds gathered outside Parliament, Mr Steen said you could "see how it means to everyone here, who have been campaigning for this for decades".
Find out how your MP voted on assisted dying as it passes in landmark vote
MPs have voted in favour of assisted dying following a marathon five-hour debate - the first on the issue since 2015.
Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rishi Sunak are among the political heavyweights who voted in favour.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater formally introduced her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to Parliament in October which resulted in Friday's vote.
The Bill MPs considered said only terminally adults who are expected to die within six months and who have been resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months.
Rishi Sunak voted in favour of a law change
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Mel Stride, Oliver Dowden (who raised concerns about judicial overreach during the debate) among 23 Conservative MPs who voted for the assisted dying bill.
93 Tory MPs voted against.
Campaigners want Government to focus on
Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, said: “We are naturally disappointed at the vote, but have been hugely encouraged that the more MPs hear about assisted suicide and euthanasia the more they turn against changing the law and rightly want the Government to focus on fixing the UK’s broken palliative care system."
Prime Minister voted in favour of assisted dying
How did party leaders vote on the Assisted Dying Bill?
For:
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Labour)
Carla Denyer/Adrian Ramsay (Greens)
Against:
Kemi Badenoch (Conservative)
Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat)
Nigel Farage (Reform)
Campaigners react to MPs voting to legalise assisted dying
Trevor Moore, chair of My Death, My Decision said: “Thousands of people will be heartened by this result. Every day, 20 people in the UK are suffering unbearable pain at the end of their lives despite receiving the best possible care. For them, the choices are stark and harrowing: travel to Switzerland, and end their life by suicide, stop eating or drinking, or face and agonising natural death. These people deserve better. They deserve the dignity of choice at the end of their lives, and we are relieved to see MPs acknowledge this.
"We are glad that MPs listened to the public and the evidence, and we hope this Bill will pass its subsequent stages through further respectful and essential debate.”
'My dad died of starvation and mum had to watch - no one should suffer like they did'
An assisted dying campaigner hopes others will not need to suffer in the same way as both of her parents.
Colette Newton joined hundreds in Westminster today as MPs debated the assisted dying bill.
MPs now voting on assisted dying
MPs are currently voting on whether to legalise assisted dying in what could be the biggest decision of their careers.
MPs to vote within next few minutes
The Commons is hearing final remarks from MPs before they vote on the complex and sensitive issue of assisted dying.
The vote will happen within the next 15 minutes.
Robert Jenrick warns 'activist judges' at ECHR could intervene in UK laws
Conservative former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick said the legal and judicial safeguards in the assisted dying Bill were “grossly inadequate” and suggested any legislation approved by Parliament could change as a result of decisions by “activist judges” at the European Court of Human Rights.
He told MPs: “Bad law on trivial things is bad enough, and I’ve seen a lot of that in my time in this House, but bad law on matters of life and death is unforgivable.”
Mr Jenrick added: “Let’s think about the role of judges. The test which is to be applied is a low one, it’s the civil law threshold, this is a balance of probabilities. This means a judge could see real risk of coercion and still sign-off this individual for assisted death; if the threshold was not reached of 50% or more, the judge would sign-off the individual.”
The Newark MP, speaking from the backbenches but who also serves as shadow justice secretary, said: “I worry, in fact I am as certain as night follows day, this law if passed will change. Not as a result of the individuals in this chamber or in the Lords, but as a result of judges in other places.
“We’ve seen that time and again. It may be on either side of the debate but it will happen. This Act, if passed, will be subject to activist judges in Strasbourg. They will change it fundamentally and we have to be prepared for that. I don’t want to see that happen.”
Labour MP with disability gives touching personal statement
A Labour MP who has lived with a disability all her life said she would support the assisted dying Bill, but described the decision as “one of the hardest that I have had to make”.
Marie Tidball (Penistone and Stocksbridge) told the Commons: “Today’s decision has been one of the hardest that I have had to make. In my career in disability law and policy I chose not to focus on debates about whether disabled people should be born, or whether we should die.
“Instead I focused on enabling disabled people to live better more fulfilling lives. Today I find myself voting in a way that I thought I never would, I will be voting in favour of moving the Bill to the next stage of the legislative process.”
Sharing her personal experience, Ms Tidball said: “When I was six years old I had major surgery on my hips. I was in body plaster from my chest to my ankles, in so much pain and requiring so much morphine that my skin began to itch. I remember vividly laying in a hospital bed in Sheffield Children’s Hospital and saying to my parents ‘I want to die, please let me die’.
“I needed to escape from that body that I was inhabiting. That moment has come back to me all these years later. That moment made it clear to me that if the Bill was about intolerable suffering I would not be voting for it.”
The Labour MP said she had since lived a “good life”, but added: “That moment also gave my a glimpse of how I would want to live my death, just as I have lived my life. Empowered by choices available to me. Living that death with dignity and respect and having the comfort of knowing that I might have control over that very difficult time.”
No10 declines to confirm how Prime Minister will vote
Downing Street declined to say how Sir Keir Starmer will vote on assisted dying legislation but said he is paying close attention to the debate in the Commons.
“He’s obviously paying extremely close attention to the debate. Ministers must be able to vote according to their conscience,” the Prime Minister’s deputy spokesman said.
He added: “People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today’s vote, but this is a matter of conscience.
“It is for Parliament to decide changes to the law, and the Prime Minister is on record as saying he’s not going to say or do anything that will put pressure on other people in relation to their vote.
“Every MP will have to make his or her mind up and decide what they want to do when that vote comes.”
Legalising assisted dying 'doesn't stop us improving palliative care'
Alicia Kearns said arguments that we must wait for palliative care to improve were “a logical fallacy”.
“This Bill does not prevent us improving our palliative care system,” she said.
The Tory MP pointed to evidence from Hospice UK to a recent inquiry that acknowledged that palliative care cannot always prevent pain.
She added: “As a Conservative, individual freedom, choice and personal responsibility shape my decision-making, until those freedoms cause harm to others
“I do not see the role of legislation as being to impose moral convictions. It is our job to protect choice.”
We should all have 'right to die with dignity', MP says
Rachel Hopkins, another co-sponsor of the Bill, pointed to public polling which showed overwhelming public support for this change in the law.
She said: “I believe this Bill today is a landmark opportunity to change the status quo once and for all.”
The Labour MP said there was systemic inequality in the current situation where only the wealthy can travel to Dignitas.
She added that individuals should have “autonomy in life, and similarly at the end of life…and the right to die with dignity”.
Recalling her own father’s suffering before his death, she said: “This legislation at its core is not about ending life, but about shortening death.”
Elderly may feel pressure to die, MP warns
Anna Dixon, one of the MPs who attempted to bring a so-called wrecking amendment, voiced strong opposition to the Bill.
She said: “Unless terminally ill people are confident of access to high quality end-of-life care, how can they make an informed choice about assisted dying?
“I believe that investment in palliative care must come before a change in the law is implemented.”
The Labour MP also raised concerns that, due to the poor state of social care, older people may feel pressure to choose assisted dying “to protect their inheritance or because they don’t want to be a burden".
Sir David Davis voices support after previous opposition
Sir David Davis told the House he had changed his mind on assisted dying, saying: “I’m a believer in the sanctity of life, but I am also an antagonist to torture and misery at the end of life.
“Accordingly, I am attending to vote for Second Reading. Second Reading is a point of principle, not a point of conclusion.”
The Tory MP said the UK could look at a wide range of examples in other countries that have changed their laws.
“If I think at Third Reading that the outcome we are heading towards is Belgium, I’ll vote against. If it’s Canada, I’ll probably vote against.
“If it’s Australia, I’ll vote in favour. That’s what the next stage of this process is about.”
He added that this issue was more important than most topics MPs consider.
'Hardest decision' for disability activist MP
Marie Tidball said the decision had been “one of the hardest I have had to make” after a career that focused on enabling disabled people to live better, more fulfilling lives.
She said: “Today I find myself voting in a way that I thought I never would. I will be voting in favour of moving the Bill to the next stage of legislative process.”
The Labour MP and disability activist said control is too often taken away from disabled people.
She added: “In order to ensure that there’s compassionate choice at the end of life, it is right that this Bill is tightly drawn around the final stage of terminal illness for adults and includes the strongest safeguards.”
Self-coercion too big a risk, Tim Farron says
Tim Farron said he believed the motives of those bringing this Bill were “grounded in compassion” - as was his opposition.
He said: “To legalise assisted dying is to create the space for coercion that will undoubtedly see people die who would otherwise not have chosen to do so.”
The former Lib Dem leader said this included self-coercion, where people feel they should end their lives because they are a burden to others.
He added: “Unless there is a clause in this Bill that I have missed to employ mind readers, then no amount of doctors, safeguards, or bureaucratic mechanisms will prevent those who self-coerce opting to die.”
'We are shortening death, not life'
Dr Peter Prinsley told the House that witnessing difficult deaths despite the best palliative care had changed his mind on this issue.
He said: “When I was a young doctor, I thought [assisted dying] unconscionable. But now, I am an old doctor and I feel sure it’s the right change.
“I have seen uncontrollable pain, choking, and I am sorry to say, the frightful sight of a man bleeding to death while conscious because a cancer has eaten away at the carotid artery.”
Dr Prinsley went on: “We are talking here of people at the end of their lives, wishing to choose the time and place to die.
“We are shortening death, not life, for our patients.”
Father of the House says too many fear pain
Sir Edward Leigh said members of the public were “terrified of dying in pain” but this can be managed with palliative care.
He read a letter from a doctor who worried he and his colleagues would be seen as “bringers of death” if assisted dying were legalised.
Calling for better funding of hospices, the Father of the House added: "We have heard many moving stories about people's fear of dying in agony.
"Until we clear that up, I don't think we can make the progress that this issue deserves."
Supporters share their 'dying wish'
Dignity in Dying campaigners who are backing the Bill are sharing their end-of-life wishes.
Vote against this if in doubt, MP says
Dame Meg Hillier warned passing the Bill would mean “a fundamental change in the relationship between the state and the citizen, and the patient and the doctor".
The Labour and Co-operative MP added: “If we have a scintilla of doubt about allowing the state that power, we should vote against this today.”
Her voice breaking, she recalled her daughter’s serious illness a few years ago.
She said: “I did not know…whether she would live or die. But I saw what good medicine could do, that palliated that pain.”
Emotions run high among MPs
Welsh Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said she would vote in favour but “we need to be mindful regardless of the emotional stories we are going to hear”.
Admitting that she was moved to tears by Ms Leadbeater’s speech, she added: “I have grappled with this, I still do.
“I want everybody out there to know it’s not easy, and it’s difficult for those on opposing sides.”
Actress Liz Carr joins opposition demonstration
Silent Witness actress and disability activist Liz Carr was among those campaigning against the Bill.
She has voiced concerns about its impact on disabled people and the possibility of eligibility widening in future.
MPs urged to let Bill progress today for more debate
Chair of the Health Select Committee Layla Moran urged MPs who support the Bill’s principles but are worried about the detail to vote for it so this debate can continue.
She said: “The question I think we, and I, will be answering today is: ‘Do I want to keep talking about the issues in this Bill?'”
The Lib Dem MP said colleagues will have a further chance to stop the Bill at Third Reading.
Opponents make their voices heard
Campaigners opposed to the legislation are chanting "assistance to live - not to die!"
Rachael Maskell calls for focus on palliative care
Labour and Co-operative MP Rachael Maskell said the NHS was under “significant duress and can’t do what it should”.
Arguing that legalising assisted dying would drain Government time, she added: “Instead our focus should be on getting palliation right, then see what is really needed.
“We can’t do both as there is simply not capacity.”
The MP also mentioned the case of a constituent who was given a terminal diagnosis aged 46 - and would have qualified for an assisted death.
The woman is now in remission at the age of 54, Ms Maskell said.
Brutal deaths will continue if Bill falls, Malthouse warns
Mr Malthouse warned that hundreds of horrific deaths will continue each year if MPs vote against the Bill.
“Whatever happens to the bill today people with terminal illness will still take their lives,” he said.
“If the Bill falls today, we are consigning those people to take their lives in brutal, violent ways, as they are doing at the moment.
“Or, for increasing numbers of our citizens, to make the trip to Switzerland if they can afford it.”
Mr Malthouse also highlighted the heartbreaking story of Mark Crampton, whose daughter Sarah spoke to the Express.
NHS and judges can cope with this, Malthouse says
Tory MP Kit Malthouse, co-sponsor of the bill, challenged claims that legalising assisted dying would put too much pressure on the NHS and judiciary.
He said: “These people are already dying. They are already in the NHS.
"Even if you think here is an impact, are you seriously telling me that my death, my agony, is too much for the NHS to have time for?
"Even the claim that it would overload the judges, that I should drown in my own faecal vomit because it’s too much hassle for the NHS to deal with.
"We send things to the NHS and the judges from this house all the time. Is anyone suggesting that we shouldn’t be creating a new offence of spiking because the judges are overworked? Of course not."
'Quiet and dignified' protests on both sides
Campaigners on both sides of the debate are mingling in a quiet and dignified way outside Parliament.Like many of the Bill's supporters, Shirley Marper from Winchester has personal experience of seeing a loved-one die.
She said: "Even with the best palliative care, it can still be very grim. When people are in pain and distress, this will give them a choice."
'The law forces people to plan their deaths in secret'
Tory MP Andrew Mitchell said he had completely changed his mind on the subject after meeting with constituents whose stories moved him to tears.
“I strongly support this Bill," he told the Commons. "I believe that we should give our constituents, our fellow citizens this choice.
“The current law forces people to plan their deaths in secret. Their bodies are found by their loved ones. They often die in the most horrific circumstances."
He said he stands by Ms Leadbeater's Bill, adding: "The status quo is cruel and dangerous."
And he insisted there would not be a slippery slope of widening eligibility "unless this Government agrees to one".
'The NHS will be a suicide service'
Ms Abbott described the six-month prognosis cut-off in the Bill as an arbitrary limit that “doesn’t necessarily meet with the reality” for terminally ill people.
She added: “If this Bill passes, we will have the NHS as a fully funded 100% suicide service but palliative care will only be funded at 30% at best.”
The long-serving Labour MP argued we need to "do better at assisted living".
Labour's Diane Abbott voices strong opposition to the Bill
Mother of the House Diane Abbott said that in 1969 Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty for murder.
“Public opinion was actually against this but MPs believed on a point of principle that the state should not be involved in taking a life," she added.
“It was a good principle in 1969 and it remains a good principle today.”
'Dying people should be given a choice'
Sarah Batten, who spent 20 years as an NHS physiotherapist, has travelled from Poole to support the campaign for assisted dying.
She saw a friend suffer an agonising death, she says.
The former healthcare worker says: "When you get to the stage in life that it's no life at all, you should be given a choice."
Bill lacks safeguards, Danny Kruger says
Raising concerns about coercion, Mr Kruger said the biggest concern was people feeling they should die because they are a burden or the system has failed them.
He said the Bill assumes that judges will play an investigative role but they do not even have to meet the patient.
And he questioned why there is no requirement for the patient’s next of kin to be informed of their decision to request assisted dying.
Supporters appear to outnumber opponents outside Parliament
Campaigners backing assisted dying appear to me to outnumber those opposed.
They are dressed in pink - one told me it was the colour of compassion - and say they are campaigning for "choice" and "dignity".
Many have personal stories. One woman told me in tears that her twin sister was forced to travel to Dignitas alone to die. Another spoke of the suffering she witnessed during a 20-year career in the NHS
'Suicide is contagious'
Danny Kruger said evidence from other countries showed suicides increase when you legalise assisted dying.
He added: “There are enormous contagious effects if we were to regulate it and license it in this way.”
Sun shines as campaigners gather in hope
The sun is shining on the Houses of Parliament but the weather is biting cold.
This hasn't stopped campaigners in their hats and scarves gathering to campaign for or against assisted dying, in the hope that MPs debating the proposed new law will hear what they have to say. Some are standing quietly outside the gates to Parliament holding banners for politicians to see while a small number are waiting inside Westminster tube station.Most are in Parliament Square, a small green space over the road from the Commons, holding a dignified protest alongside statues of statesmen such as Winston Churchill.
Danny Kruger says Bill needs 'wholesale restructuring'
Introducing the opposing argument, Danny Kruger MP claimed problems with the Bill were “simply too big for the time that it has been given”.
Warning that it would need “wholesale restructuring to be safe”, he added: "MPs should not believe that it can be sufficiently amended.
“MPs who vote for this Bill today must be prepared to see it become law largely unamended.”
'The right to choose does not take away the right to choose.'
Wrapping up her speech, Ms Leadbeater stressed the importance of choice.
Arguing that anyone who is terminally ill will still be able to choose not to request assisted dying, said: “The right to choose does not take away the right to choose.”
The MP said she was hugely proud of her team’s work and the efforts of campaigners.
She noted that this is only the first stage in a lengthy process, adding: “A vote to take this Bill forward today is not a vote to implement the law tomorrow."
Leadbeater stresses importance of scrutiny
Ms Leadbeater sought to reassure those concerned about the Bill being rushed.
If the Bill passes Second Reading, she will table a motion suggesting that the Committee which would examine it at the next stage should be allowed to call witnesses.
MP says this law would open door to conversations about death
Ms Leadbeater insisted her Bill would introduce safeguards for those who seek to shorten their deaths, where there currently are none.
And she argued that the proposed law would open door to deep and meaningful conversations about our wishes at the end of life.
She added: “We have to take a holistic view, and indeed that’s what’s happened in other jurisdictions.”
She notes that the UK has the benefit of drawing on the experience of 31 countries and jurisdictions which have legalised assisted dying.
Her Bill has looked at best practice as well as models that we do not want to follow, Ms Leadbeater adds.
Brighton couple's Dignitas trip remembered
Ms Leadbeater also recounted the experience of Ilana, a widow who accompanied her husband Crispin from their home in Brighton to Dignitas.
She and her daughters "felt like criminals" and their final days together were marred by anxiety and stress.
Ilana shared her story in a recent Express documentary, available on Youtube.
Harrowing case of music teacher Tom is highlighted
Ms Leadbeater told the story of Tom, a music teacher who died of bowel cancer after enduring five hours of faecal vomiting.
The dad-of-one been diagnosed suddenly one year earlier after the skin around his eyes turned “Homer Simpson yellow” on a family walk with Lucy and their son Joss, nine.
Lucy recently shared his story with the Express. She recalled: “Eventually, after five hours, he inhaled the faecal matter, choked and died. The look of horror on his face will never leave me.”
The Commons benches are packed
The Commons is packed for Assisted Dying Bill which just goes to show the historic importance of the matter.
The Spen Valley MP paid tribute to 'vital' palliative care workers
Ms Leadbeater said she was glad her Bill had sparked a national debate about palliative care.
Describing her meetings with hospice leaders, she paid tribute to the staff “doing some of the most vital work in society”.
However, she argued that assisted dying also had its place in end-of-life care and should be part of a holistic approach.
Ms Leadbeater highlights heartbreaking stories of those affected by the current law
Ms Leadbeater mentioned the case of Warwick Jackson, a widower who previously shared his story in the Express.
After being diagnosed with peritoneal cancer, his wife Ann was told that palliative care would ensure she didn't suffer.
But when the time came, she spent the last four days of her life gasping for breath as she slowly suffocated.
Kim Leadbeater pays emotional tributes to families as she introduces her Bill
Opening the debate, Kim Leadbeater said discussion around her Bill has been for the most part robust, respectful and compassionate.
She said some people watching from the public have shared deeply personal experiences, adding: “I want to say a huge and heartfelt tribute to those families.
“I know from my own personal experience of grief that telling your story over and over again takes energy, courage and strength.”
The Spen Valley MP said it is "vital these stories are heard as they are at the heart of this debate.”
The debate begins
Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle says more than 160 MPs want to speak.
He is reluctant to impose a time limit but asks members to keep their speeches under eight minutes.
He urges MPs to be “considerate, respectful of each other.”
And he confirms that a wrecking amendment tabled by opposition MPs seeking to halt the vote has not been selected.
Dignity in Dying campaigners out in force
More than 300 members of campaign group Dignity in Dying have gathered in Parliament Square to show their support for the Bill.Some hold placards with photos of loved ones who have experienced difficult deaths.
'I lead the Express assisted dying campaign and I'm convinced the law must change'
The Express's Health Editor Hanna Geissler has led the Express Give Us Our Last Rights crusade for almost three years.
She believes "with my whole heart and mind" that we must change the law on assisted dying.
To find out why, read her piece here
Activists outside Westminster Tube station
Campaigners greet MPs at Westminster's tube station ahead of landmark vote today.
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