On Assisted Dying - First Posted 26 Nov 2024

 One day, I am going to die. Worse still, everybody I have ever loved is going to die too. Hopefully they will do so contentedly and at peace, having loved and lived well and at length.

You are going to die too. That revelation can take some coming to terms with, given our species' unique capacity to contemplate mortality. I am unconvinced by promises of a second life, so I have opted to give this one a real go, and I hope to traverse my own timeline at a leisurely pace, in good health, of sound mind and of gratified spirit.

That might not come to pass, and not all of us are blessed to live in the type of comfort which most of us take for granted. Some of my constituents are among the thousands of people who endure constant discomfort, distress or even agony, without hope for cure or relief. Some are terminally ill and have expressed their heartfelt desire to die on their own terms - with dignity. Yet for years, their pleas have been ignored or dismissed by those of us who cannot truly grasp their suffering and, perhaps, would prefer not to confront it. It is particularly devastating that some individuals, after expressing their wish to die with dignity, later lose the capacity to make such decisions for themselves.

This month, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will introduce the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (commonly known as the Assisted Dying Bill) to the House of Commons for its second reading. It is a bold undertaking for a Member of Parliament, given that the subject of assisted dying remains so politically contentious, despite significant public support. MPs will have the opportunity to vote for or against the bill on 29th November.

Death is an emotive subject, but it should not be taboo. As MPs we owe it to our constituents to approach this difficult subject courageously and well informed. I have been lobbied heavily since the bill was announced, and I share many of the concerns from each side of the debate. Any amendment to the law must not be made as an alternative to improvements in palliative care, and legislators must work meticulously to protect vulnerable people from exploitation. Those on each side of this debate speak from a position of compassion, and we all want for our terminally ill to live their remaining days free of suffering.

As a liberal and as a humanist, my principal concerns are for the freedoms and dignity of others, and that extends to their right to choose. I see this bill as a generational opportunity to help our society forward, and to bring hope to those who desperately want to end their own suffering. I would want that right for myself, should the worst befall me, but I would want it for my loved ones too, should they need it.

On 29th November I will vote in favour of the bill.

Cam.