MND widow welcomes MPs vote on assisted dying bill
A widow whose terminally ill husband died after refusing food and drink has welcomed a vote by MPs to back a bill that would legalise assisted dying.The Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was approved with a majority of 23 votes on Friday, would allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get medical assistance to end their own lives - if eligible.Pauline McLeod, from Sheriff Hutton near York, said her spouse Ian, who was living with motor neurone disease (MND), had found life "intolerable" before he died in 2023.She said the bill represented a "very, very positive change".
Mrs McLeod said her late husband endured a "long and painful death" after refusing food and drink for three weeks.He had previously tried to take his own life in 2022."It's not a peaceful, humane death that we would like for people," she said.Critics have argued the bill risks vulnerable people being coerced into ending their lives.Some peers have indicated they will attempt to amend the legislation to introduce more safeguards when it goes to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
'Huge comfort'
Mrs McLeod said she believed law change would give terminally ill people "peace of mind"."A lot of people who are terminally ill are actually very frightened of what's going to happen to them," she added."Even if they never take up the option of assisted dying, they will still feel that option is there, and that's going to be a huge comfort to them I would imagine."Under the proposals, mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with a life expectancy of less than six months, would be eligible for an assisted death."In a civilised society we should be allowed the chance of a humane, peaceful death," said Mrs McLeod, whose husband lived with symptoms of MND for three years."It's not acceptable to allow people to die such agonizing and uncomfortable deaths."
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