The majority of Bristol MPs have confirmed they will vote in favour of a historic bill which could lead to assisted dying becoming law in the UK. MPs are scheduled to vote on the Private Members’ Bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults on Friday.
If the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales becomes law, it would give people, in certain circumstances, the right to die at a time of their choosing. The bill stipulates the person must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and must express a “clear, settled and informed” wish, free from coercion or pressure.
It excludes disability and mental illness as eligibility criteria. If it eventually becomes law, only permanent residents of England and Wales registered with a GP for at least 12 months will be eligible. The life-ending medication must be administered by the patient and cannot be administered by a health professional or anyone else.
Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East, will be voting in favour. She told Bristol Live: “‘Having seen my own relatives, including both my grandmothers, suffer terribly through their final days, I believe that terminally ill adults who have the mental capacity to consent should have the right to choose to end their pain on their own terms, without having to endure a prolonged, undignified, and in some cases agonising, death.
“I have had many emails from constituents on this, some of whom have given very moving accounts of the deaths of their own loved ones or, indeed, are themselves terminally ill. There are strong, heartfelt views on both sides, and I have considered the them carefully. I am confident the bill contains strong safeguards to prevent misuse and can be strengthened further in committee if deemed necessary. I will therefore be voting in favour.”
Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset added: “As a pharmacist with nearly 20 years of experience working in healthcare, I have treated patients at the end of life, some who I have known well for many years. I have seen their families in the days after dropping in their unused medication and I have seen the toll it takes, both emotionally and physically.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to vote in favour of the bill this Friday. While I respect everyone’s views on this matter, I believe that the bill is about giving individuals the freedom of choice not enforcing my or anyone else’s personal belief on others, so they can make their own choices on such a deeply personal issue, and allowing for dignity in dying, as in life.”
Other MPs were more sceptical. Claire Young, Thornbury and Yate’s Liberal Democrat MP, told us: “I have some concerns around the safeguards – particularly around who can sign proxy forms should the person be unable to – which I hope to see addressed at committee stage.
“I have long supported the principle of enabling those reaching the end of life to be able to die with dignity in a manner they choose, whether that be in hospice or through assisted dying. That’s why I want to see the bill advance now. If it reaches third reading, I am minded to support but will wait to see the final text.”
The office for Karin Smyth MP and Labour Minister of State for Secondary Care and Bristol South responded saying: “As a minister it would not be appropriate for Karin to comment directly on this at this time. However, her views are a matter of public record and she has spoken in the chamber previously in favour on this issue, which is recorded in Hansard.”
In an interview with ITV this week Ms Smyth added: “On a personal basis it’s the law I’ve wanted to change for a very long time and I’ve led much of that debate in Parliament. I’m pleased it’s coming forward and I think it’s a good test of Parliament and hope to see a good, respectful debate.
“Government will do whatever Parliament decides, it’s an important decision for all MPs. Judges have asked us to look at this, it’s a really important issue for people across the country and that’s why this is the right way to do it, it’s always been a private members bill that’s looked at these sort of issues and I look forward to a good debate on Friday.”
But Darren Jones set out his own position as he announced he would hold a town hall event in his Bristol North West constituency.
“My view is that a Private Member’s Bill is not the right way to try to introduce a change in law on such a complex issue. This is because Private Member’s Bills, which are introduced by backbench MPs, don’t get anywhere near the same level of scrutiny and debate as the bills put forward by the Government – and legalising assisted dying is far from a straightforward issue. I therefore plan to either abstain or vote against the bill on these grounds.”
For MPs who are supportive, the overriding theme seems to be about giving a choice to people in the final months of their life. The Green’s co-leader Carla Denyer said she “welcomed” the legislation coming to Parliament, but insisted that it “must not be rushed”. “This is about enabling people to choose a good death in the face of the terrible suffering that terminal illness can cause,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking on BBC Politics West on Sunday, Dan Norris, Labour MP for North East Somerset said: “I am genuinely undecided. I am probably erring towards supporting this; just. I’m going to listen to the debate, I’ve been doing research, I’ve been listening to my constituents. What I don’t doubt for a second is that every view has been thought through. What I hope is we recognise the balance with dealing with suffering and a terrible situation some people and families find themselves, against checks and balances that this cannot be exploited by bad people.”
Bristol North East MP Damien Egan was last night hosting an online meeting on the subject with his constituents. He said: “At the meeting, I will explain why I plan on voting in favour of continuing the discussions on assisted dying in Parliament. This would not be the final vote.”