Parliament is set to consider a draft bill to legalize assisted suicide for patients who are terminally ill for the first time in nearly ten years, and it could mark a critical shift in the law as it stands on end-of-life choices for such people.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater is set to introduce the proposed legislation on Wednesday, which would create a legal route for doctors to help dying patients end their lives under certain conditions. Details about the proposed bill will be published later in the month ahead of a parliamentary vote.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the Members of Parliament will be at liberty to vote with their conscience rather than being led by party lines. Starmer, who had voted in favor of a bill on assisted dying in 2015, said there is a case for thinking that the present law on this topic should be revisited.
Leadbeater declared that the draft legislation must contain broad safeguards and protections. “There is absolutely no question of disabled people or mentally ill individuals not suffering from terminal conditions being steered to end their lives,” she said. It is what makes this promise appealing, as most debates over assisted suicide are framed against the fears of vulnerable sectors being taken advantage of.
The new bill will probably resemble an earlier version introduced to the House of Lords, which was deliberated for some time. In that version, assisted dying is restricted to adults having a prognosis of living for six months or less and requires court approval after evaluations by two physicians.
Campaign Support High-profile supporters include charity founder Esther Rantzen, who is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer. She joined calls for constituents to campaign for the right to die. Rantzen stated she would contemplate a trip to Switzerland if her rights are not set in place in the UK, where assisted suicide is viewed as an acceptable law.
Supporters like Wilson argue that assisted dying reduces the suffering of the patient, while opponents of this law will question the dangers of its potential to exploit vulnerable people. Liz Carr, disability rights activist, warned that any change to this law might provide loopholes for coercion among that contemplating euthanasia.
This legislative debate could be a watershed in a developing discussion encompassing the rights of patients who are diagnosed with terminal illness in the UK and, more widely, the right to die with dignity.
