Lewis Atkinson MP: Choice at the end of life – the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

This is a serious issue that is rightly being subject to careful debate, with respect being shown to different perspectives and views.

Ultimately each MP must decide individually how to vote. Having seen the limited scope of law being proposed and the strong safety measures included, I intend to vote in favour.

Dying people are not suicidal. They do not want to die but they do not have the choice to live. When death is inevitable, suffering should not be. Alongside excellent palliative care, dying people deserve the right to control their final days.

The experiences I have heard convince me that the current law is unsustainable and wrong. Currently, some people pay thousands of pounds to travel abroad to get the safe and peaceful death they wish to have but are not allowed in the UK, spending their last days far from their homes and their families. Others who cannot travel or afford that option choose to take matters into their own hands, risking a painful and gruesome death alone. In the absence of alternatives, others die in agony because in some medical situations, no effective pain relief is possible.

The proposed law is very limited in scope – applying only to terminally ill adults who wish to self-administer a lethal medication to bring about their own death. They would only be permitted to do this after having been offered all treatment and pain relief options. Two doctors and the High Court would independently oversee each case, with mandatory ‘periods of reflection’ ensuring such decisions were clear, informed and settled. The proposed law rightly includes strong protections to prevent the risk of exploitation, with a sentence of 14 years in prison for anyone found trying to coerce or pressurise anyone else to make a decision.

I recognise that some people may be opposed to assisted dying as a result of their religious views. Positions of conscience must be respected, so I am pleased the draft law makes clear that no doctor or healthcare worker will be obliged to take part in this process.

This is a complex issue, but one that must be decided. I judge that giving people dying people choice and control is the compassionate, safe and kind approach.