Assisted Dying Bill passed by slim majority

[smallglassbottle]

https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-starmer-assisted-dying-trump-israel-iran-labour-12593360

🙏🏼I am praying for this to be passed!

As one MP said today, Labour spent 700 discussing the deaths of foxes and 90 hours discussing the deaths of people.

I hope the Lords rip it to shreds. Appalling that it got through.

I agree. She reassured people about safeguards then removed them and there seems to be a pattern of saying one thing and doing another.

Currently we have a government desperately looking for ways to reduce disability benefits, regardless of any potential suffering. And endless threads on Mumsnet complaining about the selfish boomers and how much money is spent on pensioners when far more important people - i e people their age- should have the cash.

But sure, it's going to work really well in this country.

I would only surmise that those who are evangelising about palliative care haven't experienced this in this country, let alone in the last few years. Figures quickly pulled from Google estimate that 100k people a year die without access to any form of palliative care.

How can that be humane?

It's awful. So let's put some significant money into palliative care and not waste it on this!

Perhaps the government could fund palliative care, rather than largely rely on charities? Just a wild Idea, but who knows, it might just help!

Let's hope the Lords see sense.

I haven’t read all the posts, but suffice to say I am glad the bill has been passed. Yes it’s a very emotive subject but having watched my dad suffer with MND if such an option was available he certainly would have taken it. He often said he’d had enough and wished he would just “go”. Very distressing for him and for friends and family.
What struck me was him saying if I was your pet I wouldn’t be left like this. They’d be put to sleep and their suffering would be ended peacefully and with dignity. Which I 100% agree with. People should have the choice

My mum doesn't like this bill. She is often right about things (in a way that becomes apparent later on).

She is a care worker and moans a lot about poor quality of life in older age when it's self inflicted through poor diet and alcoholism, but she thinks the bill is about cutting costs and prone to abuse.

The thing is, it’s evident even from this thread that people don’t want safeguards.

They want anyone and everyone to be able to be killed off.

As the bill initially stood,

• two doctors needed to sign it off.
• it had to be agreed by the courts
• the patient needs to be suffering from a terminal illness and have less than six months to live
• they need to be able to take the medication independently.

And yet people are going on about dementia and MND and the ability to get advanced consent to murder someone when they no longer have capacity. Because to put someone down with no capacity is murder. Because they are not allowed to consent. Just as having sex with a drunk woman is rape. Or does that principle only apply to women’s rights, or should we now start to assume that if a woman has said she’s up for it then she’s fair game? Because it’s exactly the same principle.

As for the poster who said the lords can’t throw it out. They absolutely can.

If it was possible to provide good quality palliative care to everyone with the resources and money we have available, don't you think they would already have done it?

Might as well wish for everyone to have a Rolls Royce and a yacht.

@Puzzledandpissedoff Beautifully put, except that as said the chances of palliative care being made any kind of priority have just disappeared IMO

Thank you. Yes, this is exactly the problem! The people who are shouting loudest for legalised euthanasia seem to be banging their gongs and championing the wrong cause. It's deeply concerning that some people would rather choose to legalise euthanasia over and above campaigning for the provision of much improved and wider availability of compassionate and high quality palliative care.

Then again, considering the the example fighting and ongoing global wars, perhaps it's not so surprising that some human beings prefer to kill than love and care.

As for the argument made on this thread and elsewhere that "we don't let animals suffer"—in many cases, animals are euthanised not out of compassion, but merely because it's far more convenient and cost-effective than offering them proper time-consuming and expensive treatment and care.

No, the Lords cannot 'throw it out'. At the most they can delay it by suggesting amendments and then sending it back to the House of Commons, who can then send it back. After a certain number of goes, they can no longer do this and it becomes law.

They have absolutely no way of preventing it from becoming law by themselves.

My df died of lung cancer, he wasn't able to get a bed in our local hospice, my grandad died of vestibular dementia so yes i have seen people i love die without decent palliative care. I also have a severely disabled son who will never be able to live independently and will never have capacity over decisions like this (he won't have capacity over the majority of decisions). I'm scared to death of this bill.

I see it as cost saving. Having seen how costly the disabled can be and I know how underfunded services and the nhs are it's not a big jump.

Then how will this be appropriately resourced?

By being significantly cheaper presumably?

I’m pleased this has passed. If you don’t agree, and should this pass into law, feel free to express those wishes clearly and on your medical record, that in no circumstances will you consent to assisted dying. If you are responsible for the medical decisions of a loved one, do likewise.

I would very much like to choose to die ahead of time if I become terminally ill. I’m grateful to parliament for taking steps to respect my autonomous decision.

Doubtful.

You need to be able to consent and take the medication yourself. Therefore you don't need to write it beforehand.

Six months of high quality palliative care and all of the people and resources that requires vs the assisted dying process as per this bill? Not even close if you ask me.

So it is about saving money?

Speaking as a NHS doctor . You would have to be so naive to believe you’re going to have control . This is a wicked bill

I can’t believe anyone is advocating suicide as a viable alternative!

There is no money for palliative care, so the bill is a terrible idea.