Assisted dying Bill at risk of collapse
The assisted dying Bill is at risk of failing because MPs are considering pulling their support, The Telegraph can disclose.
MPs voted 330 to 275 to legalise assisted dying last year in a historic vote.
However, just 28 need to switch sides for the Bill to fail when it returns to the House of Commons. The Telegraph understands that at least 15 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats who either abstained or supported the Bill previously are now considering voting against it.
The shift has emerged as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is due to return to the Commons on Friday, when MPs will debate and vote on amendments.
While a final vote is possible, MPs have put forward so many amendments to discuss that they are unlikely to get through them and progress to the next stage.
Kim Leadbeater, the sponsor of the Bill, who has been fighting a mounting backlash over the policy, has tabled 44 amendments in an attempt to keep backers onside.
Charlie Dewhirst, the Conservative MP for Bridlington and the Wolds, previously abstained from voting but has since decided to vote against assisted dying.
Mr Dewhirst told The Telegraph: 'I am concerned now that the scope is very wide. There seems to be a lack of protections, for example, for people with autism. And it really feels to me that it's far wider than we were assured it was going to be to start with.
'So for that reason, I can't support it in all good conscience.'
Mr Dewhirst's Conservative colleague Sir David Davis, who previously voted for the Bill, said he was reconsidering his position, citing concerns that GPs would be allowed to 'initiate' the assisted dying process.
The Tory grandee, who remains undecided, said: 'If you think back to what happened during Covid, we had loads of do not resuscitate (DNR) notices, and there was a strong feeling this was being done for managerial reasons, rather than humanitarian ones. So I don't trust that process.'
He also said that there needed to be 'full palliative care' available to all patients alongside assisted dying.
Bobby Dean, the Liberal Democrat MP for Casterton and Wallington, backed the Bill previously but told The Telegraph he was now 'deliberating'.
'I supported the Bill at the second reading and I feel broadly assured by how it has been strengthened in recent weeks.
'However, there have been some significant late interventions, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) and others, and I am going to take time to reflect before the next vote.'
The Bill proposes allowing terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to die, following the approval of two doctors and a multi-disciplinary panel.
However, interventions from medical bodies, including RCPsych and the Royal College of Physicians, have prompted more MPs to come forward with concerns.
Until now, only Lee Anderson and his former Reform UK colleague Rupert Lowe had publicly said they would switch sides.
Dr Lade Smith, the president of the RCPsych, said the organisation remained neutral on the principle but had a number of concerns about the legislation in its current form.
It found 'a number of issues', including the possibility a terminally ill patient could be suffering from a 'very treatable' mental disorder, and the fact that there was no requirement for someone who wanted to end their life to inform family members.
Melanie Ward, the Labour MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, who has voted against the Bill, said the RCPsych's intervention was a 'blow to its foundations'.
She said: 'The expertise of psychiatrists is central to this new law and an essential part of the process and protections in the new panel system. If their Royal College feels as though the Bill does not provide the safety it should, we must take heed.'
Opponents raised further concerns after a government impact assessment published earlier this month said more than 4,500 people a year were expected to end their lives by assisted dying within a decade of the legislation being passed.
The assessment also found that the law would save the taxpayer up to £90 million in healthcare costs, as well as benefits and pensions payments.
It caused alarm among campaigners, who warned that the true death toll may climb higher if the lives of vulnerable patients were seen as 'expendable'.
One Labour MP warned that the assisted dying policy was politically toxic, telling The Telegraph: 'One of the things that the Labour Party need to be aware of is that Farage will be first to say, 'First they took your winter fuel payments. Then they took your pensions. Now they're taking your lives.''
Ms Leadbeater, the MP for Spen Valley, has been fighting to allay concerns by tabling a swathe of amendments to the Bill, with eight put forward on Tuesday night bringing her total to 44.
These include commissioning a new assessment of the state of palliative care and enabling more healthcare professionals who object to assisted dying to opt out.
She has also proposed that advertising assisted dying services should be banned.
However, the flurry of amendments has provoked further criticism from opponents, who are worried that MPs will not have time to assess the changes before the debate on Friday.
James Frith, a Labour MP, said: 'It's disappointing but not surprising that yet again the Bill sponsor has tabled new amendments at the last possible moment to the assisted dying Bill, a Bill which MPs are due to debate in just two days.
'For a change to the law of such profound significance, this is unacceptable and flies in the face of assurances given to MPs that they would have adequate time to scrutinise the Bill.'
The next stage of the Bill after Friday's debate – the third reading, where it could be killed off – is now expected next month, either on June 13 or, if more time is needed for amendments, June 20.
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15 Last Words People Said On Their Deathbed That Range From Heartbreaking To Hilarious
All of us will die one day — and all of us will expend our final moments of life. It's hard to imagine what those final moments will be like, but we can get an idea from the experiences of others. Over on Quora, doctors, nurses, caregivers, and loved ones have shared their experiences being present for the final moments of someone's hearing their last words. These last words can be heartbreaking, life-affirming, spiritual, befuddling — even hilarious — but they're always fascinating. Here's what they had to say: (You can see some of the full threads here, here, and here.) 1."In the hospital, I met a nice man in his early 50s, a long-term alcoholic whose name was Lester. We got to know each other quite well. I was in for an alcohol detox. When he crashed, it was horrendous; he very quickly ballooned in various places of his body, neck, stomach, and leg and started leaking fluid. It was frightening to watch, and I could see he was terrified. Despite all the machines and doctors whizzing around him, no one comforted him, so I shared some reassuring words while holding his hand. Just before he left us, Lester motioned to pull his breathing apparatus away from his face, and struggling to breathe, he looked up at me with despair in his eyes and raspily croaked, 'What happened to my life?'" "He was then rushed to the ICU, where he passed 10 minutes later. It still haunts me to this day and still brings me to tears recounting it. I'm now 35, sober, in treatment, and I will never forget that moment. It taught me a lot — such a waste of life." —Tom Evans, Quora 2."I had a patient scream, 'I will not get vaccinated!!' right before we had to intubate him for COVID-19. No one was trying to vaccinate him. He was already in critical condition from COVID-19. He stayed intubated until he passed away. His family asked if he said anything before his emergent intubation. I made something up about how he said he loved them because I didn't think they'd want to hear that those were his final words." —Jordan B, Quora 3."The last words my husband ever said to me before he died was when I accidentally hit his hospital bed with a chair. He was in a stupor, and I knew the end was near. When I hit the bed, he opened his eyes, looked at me, and said, 'Oh, hi, honey. I love you.' He died six hours later." —Deborah Barber, Quora 4."I swear to god, the last word from a dying friend of mine, a brilliant woman who worked in showbiz publicity and knew the power of a good exit, was, 'Rosebud.'' —Rick Elswit, Quora ("Rosebud" was famously the last word spoken by Orson Welles's character Charles Foster Kane in the classic film Citizen Kane.) Related: Private Investigators Are Sharing The Most Disturbing Cases They've Ever Gotten, And Wow 5."As a nurse, I have seen many patients pass away and heard lots of last words. Sometimes, a patient will just pass in silence while others will say something. In the past, some have said things that really stuck with me; some made me stop and think, and others shook me a little." "I had a patient called Maggie, an older lady in her 80s. Just before she passed away, her face lit up, and she said, 'Hello, Henry.' She was so happy, and then she passed. Henry was her husband, who had passed away 10 years before. Another patient, Tom, was 50 years old and passed away terrified. His last words were, 'No, please don't let me die.' That shook me up and stayed with me since. And then there was a young female. She had cancer and was only 23. Just before she passed, she looked up, smiled, and said. 'Oh... It's beautiful.'" —Victoria Young, Quora 6."On my granny's deathbed, she looked at each of us clearly while holding our hands and told us assuredly: 'I know who killed him.' With tears in her eyes, it seemed like she was going to answer 'Who killed who,' but then she died." "No idea. As far as we know, there were no 'unsolved' deaths or murders in her circle. Maybe someone got away with something, or it was not known. It was a mystery!" —Bill Coffey, Quora 7."I was the allocated carer for a husband and wife who were both in a bad way due to different health issues and illnesses. They were in a shared room, and their beds were pushed together so they could be close to each other. Unfortunately, the wife passed away, so of course, the husband was absolutely devastated. Me and the nurse were offering him some comfort when he said, 'Well, I guess it's my turn soon! I've been there for my wife and now have nothing!'" "We separated their beds when the funeral directors came to collect his wife and told him we'd be back in a minute. He said, 'I feel I wouldn't be there when you get back.' The nurse stayed with him as I went to let the directors out of the nursing home, and when I came back, the husband had passed away. It was almost as if he couldn't live with a broken heart. He had given up on his own life after knowing his wife had passed peacefully and without pain. He had been with and taken care of her until the end. It makes me realize that true love does exist." —Jessica Hewer, Quora Related: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There 8."My mother passed at age 53; I was 27 at the time. She had cancer and was under hospice care at home. I visited her the day before she passed. The last thing she said to me was, 'You poor thing, you poor thing.'" —Cheryl Fulton, Quora 9."My mother married my stepfather when I was a teenager. We had a somewhat difficult relationship, although it was readily apparent that he adored my mother and treated her very well. A decade or so into their marriage, his health declined. He had developed leukemia-induced anemia complicated by Crohn's disease. After several years of painful existence and numerous hospital stays and blood transfusions, he found himself in the ICU. His red blood cell count was critically low, and he needed another transfusion, or he would die within a few days. He decided he'd had enough. He refused treatment so that he could pass away and be relieved of his pain. He went in and out of consciousness over those last two days. A priest came to read him his last rites." "At one point, I stood alone beside his bed, and he mustered enough strength to speak. He told me, 'Take care of your body and read a lot of books on different subjects.' I acknowledged him. He added, 'And take care of your mother.' He then slipped back into unconsciousness. I never heard him speak again. Those last words only reaffirmed to me what a great husband my mother had found, for in his last moments, he was still concerned about her welfare. That night, my mother and I were in the waiting room at 2 in the morning when the nurse came to tell us that it was his time. We went into his ICU room, stood by his bedside, and watched on the monitor as his heart rate steadily dropped off to zero and his chest eased down to a stop. My mother looked down at him and said, 'What an amazing man. Thank you for 17 wonderful years of marriage.' RIP Stan." —Greg Livorsi, Quora 10."A friend's mother was in the final stages of life. Her family was around her, singing her favorite hymns. As they fell silent, she suddenly opened her eyes very wide, gasped, and whispered, 'LOOK! Oh, WOW!' And then she closed her eyes and died." —Susan Zipf, Quora 11."My 93-year-old father, who was in hospice care with heart failure, was having a heart attack. In the middle of the pain, while trying to make him as comfortable as possible — he was sort of in and out of consciousness — he very clearly spoke his last words: 'I found the gates are open for me.'" "With those words, he went to sleep and never woke up again, passing away that night. He was the most loving, selfless person I've ever known. See you again someday, Dad!" —Jim Hainline, Quora 12."A trauma patient in an emergency room setting looked directly into my eyes and asked clearly — 'Please don't let me die.' I did my best, as did the entire care team, but her condition proved to be beyond our best efforts. Decades later, I can still see her face and hear her clear, calm voice, although my memory of the 'code' itself is fading. It would not still haunt me if I hadn't replied, 'I won't.'" —Rob Man, Quora 13."I will remember this patient until my own dying day; because of him, I realized with blinding clarity what hospice care is for. We will call him Vladimir. He was 101 years old and in a diabetic coma. He had gangrene of both feet, so in the event that he regained consciousness, he had a double amputation to look forward to. Per his medical history, he had been a professional dancer in his youth. Vladimir had outlived his entire family, including his only grandson. He never had visitors while in my unit at the hospital." "I used to sit at his bedside to work on chart notes just to keep him company. Sometimes I'd read the newspaper to him or tell him jokes. This went on for weeks with nary a twitch from Vladimir, so I didn't know if he could hear me or not. I was definitely leaning toward NOT. But one Monday morning, I was at his bedside as usual when I suddenly felt I was being watched. I looked up from my charting to find Vlad's intense blue eyes staring at me imperiously: 'DO YOU VANT ME TO LIVE?!?' he demanded. I was startled to the point of stuttering: 'Uhhhh… Sure!' 'Then you must get me…THE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!' he thundered back. 'Wait here,' I said idiotically and ran to the nurses' station. I asked the charge nurse where I could get chocolate ice cream, pronto, as the patient in 20A had just regained consciousness and was asked even turning around, she said, 'You can't give 20A ice cream, chocolate or otherwise, because his primary diagnosis is uncontrolled diabetes.' 'Yes, I can,' I replied, 'Because his condition is terminal. It may be the last time he gets to taste ice cream before he dies. Do you want to tell him he can't have it, that he needs to have sugar-free Jello instead for his health? What kind of sense does that make?' 'Well, when you put it that way… You can usually find individual servings of ice cream up on Maternity.' So Vlad got a half-pint of chocolate ice cream, gleefully savored every spoonful, and gave me a wink and a smile. Then he sighed, closed his died." —Sabrina Walkosz, Quora 14."We had a patient in the ICU who'd come in for some cardiac issues. She needed a cleanup and was in congestive heart failure. I was still in nursing school and working as a nurse tech. The team called me for the cleanup and to place her IVs as I needed the practice. Once that was completed, we needed to place a Foley catheter. I explained the procedure, cleaned the area, and began the insertion. She sat up and loudly stated, 'I can taste my teeth.' She then coded, and her heart stopped; we started CPR and code blue protocol without a positive result. Strange last statement." —Max Cady, Quora finally: "I met a patient around 60 on my oncology rotation. She suffered from a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia after bone marrow transplantation and also had to fight an uneven battle against fungal pneumonia. The chances of her surviving were pretty slim, which she knew. The thing is, one minute in her presence was enough to make you forget entirely about her grim fate. She was cunningly funny in a dirty kind of way, making the most unexpected jokes to the unassuming doctors on the rounds." "One day, things looked particularly bad. Her whole family was in her room, and she was sitting on the bed rather than lying in it because that way, she could breathe more easily and see everyone, from her oldest son to the youngest grandchild. I had come into her room to examine her, but she told me I didn't have to. She made one of her dirty jokes, which I have unfortunately forgotten. Everyone laughed, even the ones with tears in their eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder how she was able to think as clearly and talk normally despite her severe sepsis. She was talking in complete sentences and refused any morphine. I remember trying to hold back tears because I somehow knew, as did she. She looked around at her family, then at me, and said: 'I am OK.' Then she looked at the family again and laid her head against the propped-up pillow, finally closing her eyes as if to sleep. Less than a minute later, she passed away. I have never witnessed a patient with such a clear state of mind immediately before dying, and there she was, lying peacefully asleep in the company of those who loved her. She was indeed OK." —Konstantinos Gatos, Quora (Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.) Did you hear someone's last words that made an impression on you? Let us know in the comments below or via this anonymous form. Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them Also in Internet Finds: People In HR Revealed Truly Unhinged Reasons Employees Got Fired, And My Jaw Is On The Floor
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15 Powerful Last Words People Said Before They Died
All of us will die one day — and all of us will expend our final moments of life. It's hard to imagine what those final moments will be like, but we can get an idea from the experiences of others. Over on Quora, doctors, nurses, caregivers, and loved ones have shared their experiences being present for the final moments of someone's hearing their last words. These last words can be heartbreaking, life-affirming, spiritual, befuddling — even hilarious — but they're always fascinating. Here's what they had to say: "In the hospital, I met a nice man in his early 50s, a long-term alcoholic whose name was Lester. We got to know each other quite well. I was in for an alcohol detox. When he crashed, it was horrendous; he very quickly ballooned in various places of his body, neck, stomach, and leg and started leaking fluid. It was frightening to watch, and I could see he was terrified. Despite all the machines and doctors whizzing around him, no one comforted him, so I shared some reassuring words while holding his hand. Just before he left us, Lester motioned to pull his breathing apparatus away from his face, and struggling to breathe, he looked up at me with despair in his eyes and raspily croaked, 'What happened to my life?'" "I had a patient scream, 'I will not get vaccinated!!' right before we had to intubate him for COVID-19. No one was trying to vaccinate him. He was already in critical condition from COVID-19. He stayed intubated until he passed away. His family asked if he said anything before his emergent intubation. I made something up about how he said he loved them because I didn't think they'd want to hear that those were his final words." "The last words my husband ever said to me before he died was when I accidentally hit his hospital bed with a chair. He was in a stupor, and I knew the end was near. When I hit the bed, he opened his eyes, looked at me, and said, 'Oh, hi, honey. I love you.' He died six hours later." "I swear to god, the last word from a dying friend of mine, a brilliant woman who worked in showbiz publicity and knew the power of a good exit, was, 'Rosebud.'' "As a nurse, I have seen many patients pass away and heard lots of last words. Sometimes, a patient will just pass in silence while others will say something. In the past, some have said things that really stuck with me; some made me stop and think, and others shook me a little." "On my granny's deathbed, she looked at each of us clearly while holding our hands and told us assuredly: 'I know who killed him.' With tears in her eyes, it seemed like she was going to answer 'Who killed who,' but then she died." "I was the allocated carer for a husband and wife who were both in a bad way due to different health issues and illnesses. They were in a shared room, and their beds were pushed together so they could be close to each other. Unfortunately, the wife passed away, so of course, the husband was absolutely devastated. Me and the nurse were offering him some comfort when he said, 'Well, I guess it's my turn soon! I've been there for my wife and now have nothing!'" "My mother passed at age 53; I was 27 at the time. She had cancer and was under hospice care at home. I visited her the day before she passed. The last thing she said to me was, 'You poor thing, you poor thing.'" "My mother married my stepfather when I was a teenager. We had a somewhat difficult relationship, although it was readily apparent that he adored my mother and treated her very well. A decade or so into their marriage, his health declined. He had developed leukemia-induced anemia complicated by Crohn's disease. After several years of painful existence and numerous hospital stays and blood transfusions, he found himself in the ICU. His red blood cell count was critically low, and he needed another transfusion, or he would die within a few days. He decided he'd had enough. He refused treatment so that he could pass away and be relieved of his pain. He went in and out of consciousness over those last two days. A priest came to read him his last rites." "A friend's mother was in the final stages of life. Her family was around her, singing her favorite hymns. As they fell silent, she suddenly opened her eyes very wide, gasped, and whispered, 'LOOK! Oh, WOW!' And then she closed her eyes and died." "My 93-year-old father, who was in hospice care with heart failure, was having a heart attack. In the middle of the pain, while trying to make him as comfortable as possible — he was sort of in and out of consciousness — he very clearly spoke his last words: 'I found the gates are open for me.'" "A trauma patient in an emergency room setting looked directly into my eyes and asked clearly — 'Please don't let me die.' I did my best, as did the entire care team, but her condition proved to be beyond our best efforts. Decades later, I can still see her face and hear her clear, calm voice, although my memory of the 'code' itself is fading. It would not still haunt me if I hadn't replied, 'I won't.'" "I will remember this patient until my own dying day; because of him, I realized with blinding clarity what hospice care is for. We will call him Vladimir. He was 101 years old and in a diabetic coma. He had gangrene of both feet, so in the event that he regained consciousness, he had a double amputation to look forward to. Per his medical history, he had been a professional dancer in his youth. Vladimir had outlived his entire family, including his only grandson. He never had visitors while in my unit at the hospital." "We had a patient in the ICU who'd come in for some cardiac issues. She needed a cleanup and was in congestive heart failure. I was still in nursing school and working as a nurse tech. The team called me for the cleanup and to place her IVs as I needed the practice. Once that was completed, we needed to place a Foley catheter. I explained the procedure, cleaned the area, and began the insertion. She sat up and loudly stated, 'I can taste my teeth.' She then coded, and her heart stopped; we started CPR and code blue protocol without a positive result. Strange last statement." And finally: "I met a patient around 60 on my oncology rotation. She suffered from a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia after bone marrow transplantation and also had to fight an uneven battle against fungal pneumonia. The chances of her surviving were pretty slim, which she knew. The thing is, one minute in her presence was enough to make you forget entirely about her grim fate. She was cunningly funny in a dirty kind of way, making the most unexpected jokes to the unassuming doctors on the rounds." Did you hear someone's last words that made an impression on you? Let us know in the comments below or via this anonymous form.
