Around 1,000 doctors urge MPs to vote against ‘unsafe' assisted dying Bill
Around 1,000 doctors have written to MPs urging them to vote against the assisted dying Bill describing it as 'simply not safe'.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will return to the House of Commons for debate on Friday, with MPs expected to consider further amendments.
But in a letter, published this week, doctors from across the NHS have urged lawmakers to listen to those 'who would have to deliver the consequences of this deeply flawed Bill'.
They warn the Bill 'poses a real threat to both patients and the medical workforce'.
In its current form the proposed legislation, which applies only to England and Wales, would mean terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.
Last month, MPs approved a change in the Bill to ensure no medics would be obliged to take part in assisted dying.
Doctors already had an opt-out but the new clause extends that to anyone, including pharmacists and social care workers.
Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
The letter to MPs said: 'As experienced medical professionals who regularly work with dying patients and who have reviewed the worldwide evidence on assisted dying, it is our opinion that this Bill poses a real threat to both patients and the medical workforce, and we urge you to vote against it.
'We are concerned that the private member's Bill process has not facilitated a balanced approach to the collection of evidence and input from key stakeholders including doctors, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
'This Bill will widen inequalities, it provides inadequate safeguards and, in our collective view, is simply not safe.
'This is the most important piece of healthcare legislation for 60 years and we urge you to listen to the doctors who would have to deliver the consequences of this deeply flawed Bill.'
Sir Ed Davey welcomed the letter on Monday, telling Sky News he had 'real concerns'.
'I have voted against this assisted dying legislation, as I did on previous occasions,' the Liberal Democrat leader said.
'I have real concerns about the pressure on individuals, that they will put on themselves, if they think they are a burden on their family, so I welcome this letter.'
He added: 'I hope, as time has gone on, as the arguments have been better exposed, that MPs will switch sides and join the side that I and many MPs are on.'
But Sir Chris Bryant said he would be voting in favour.
The technology minister told Sky News: 'The Government doesn't have a formal position at all and individual members are free to choose how they vote.
'I'm not going to hide my own personal preference. I abstained on the first time round, I decided I wasn't going to vote because I wanted to hear the debate.
'I have listened to a lot of the debate. Of course, I don't want anybody to feel that they are a burden on society and that should lead them towards taking their own life, but I also have heard the cries of people who are absolutely miserable, and that's why I will be voting for the Bill.'
Some of the Bill's opponents have urged MPs to focus on improving end-of-life care rather than legislating for assisted dying.
Ahead of last month's Commons debate on the Bill, two royal medical colleges raised concerns over the proposed legislation.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said it believes there are 'concerning deficiencies', while the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said it has 'serious concerns' and cannot support the Bill.
Opinions among members of the medical profession remain varied, with TV doctor Hilary Jones describing assisted dying for the terminally ill as 'kind and compassionate', adding that he would help a patient to end their life if the law was changed.
The GP, often seen on ITV's Good Morning Britain and the Lorraine show, told the PA news agency he believes medicine will go 'back to the Dark Ages' if proposed legislation being considered at Westminster is voted down.
While Friday is expected to see debate on further amendments to the Bill, it is thought a vote on the overall legislation might not take place until the following Friday, June 20.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Analysis: Rachel Reeves Has Been Left Humiliated By Winter Fuel U-Turn
She tried to put a brave face on it, but there is no doubt that the U-turn on her decision to remove winter fuel payments from 10 million pensioners is a humiliation for Rachel Reeves. The chancellor confirmed today that she was raising the income threshold to qualify for the benefit, meaning millions more old folk will qualify for it this year. Her climbdown followed a furious public backlash to the policy – and mounting anger among Labour MPs. Reeves' reputation as an 'iron chancellor' has taken a battering from which it may never recover. What's more, her explanation for why she has junked one of her signature policies does not stand up to a moment's scrutiny. She told Sky News: 'I had to make urgent decisions last year to put the public finances back on a firm footing. We inherited a £22 billion in-year black hole in the public finances. 'I was always clear that the number one priority of this government was to return stability to the economy. 'We did that with a number of difficult decisions, but because of those decisions our public finances are now in a better position, which means that this year we're able to pay the winter fuel payment to more pensioners.' But it is misleading in the extreme to suggest that, after 11 months of a Labour government, everything in the Treasury garden is now rosy. Both the Office for Budget Responsibility and the OECD have downgraded their forecasts for the UK economy, not least because the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs have yet to take effect. The idea that there is suddenly a load of spare cash to pay the £1.5 billion the winter fuel U-turn till cost is simply not true. Indeed, Downing Street has admitted that we'll need to wait until the autumn Budget to find out how it will be paid for. How's that for a fiscal black hole? On Wednesday, Reeves will announce how much money each government department will have to spend over the next three years as she unveils the result of her spending review. She was already under huge pressure to explain how she plans to make the government's sums add up. The winter fuel shambles means she has even less room for manoeuvre. Revealed: Which Pensioners Will Get Winter Fuel Payments Again After Labour U-Turn Rachel Reeves Confirms More Pensioners Will Get Their Winter Fuel Payments This Year 'Cack-Handed': Laura Kuenssberg Slams Labour's U-Turn Over Winter Fuel Payments
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The cost of caring for a loved one
It's Carers' Week, when we're encouraged to recognise the effort put in by unpaid carers looking after their loved ones. As more people live longer and need more care, it should also be a chance to consider what we'd do if we found ourselves in this position, and someone we love needed care. You might want to step in and help, so it's worth understanding the potential costs — from the extras you'd need at home to the cost of any lost income. In many cases, the whole family will need to have a frank conversation about how to support the person offering care, as well as the person needing it. If your family member needs professional care, the question of costs becomes even more pressing. On average, you'll pay about £50,000 a year for residential care and £66,000 for a nursing home, but the averages hide some big costs, and plenty of people pay well over £100,000 a year. You may be able to get some help from the state, but there's a process you need to go through first. It starts with a "needs assessment", done by your local authority, who will work out what care the person needs. Read more: How much does it cost to become a driver in the UK? Next you go through a financial assessment, which looks at the assets of the person needing care. If they're getting care at home, or they're in a care home temporarily, this assessment won't include the value of their own home. If they're going into a care home permanently, it may include their home, unless someone from specific groups also lives there. This includes a partner, any of their children under the age of 18, or a relative who is disabled or over the age of 60. In England, if they have assets of less than £14,250, the council may pay for care — although it will also take their income into account. If they have between £14,250 and £23,250, they will have to contribute to the cost of care, but if they have assets over £23,250, they'll need to foot the entire bill. If your loved one has complex medical needs, they should be assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare. This can pay for all their care in some cases, but don't assume they'll qualify. It's not enough to have caring needs around the clock, they'll have to have very high medical needs too, requiring regular intervention from medical experts and professionals. If you end up needing to pay for care for someone, there are a few benefits that will help. If they are over state pension age, they could get the attendance allowance — or pension age disability in Scotland. However, this will barely scratch the surface of costs. It means you may need to speak to anyone in your life who might need care, to see what preparations they've put in place. A piece of research we did a while ago found that fewer than half of people thought their loved ones could pay for care from their savings. It means you should consider their pension too. A guaranteed monthly pension income will go towards the cost of care. If they're using pension drawdown, they may have money in their pension pot that can be used too. For younger people, this often makes sense as a way to save for your own care needs, especially if you're saving into a workplace pension and your employer is helping to build the pot. Read more: What is the Pension Investment Review? However, the value of the property will often need to be used. Some people will rent the family home out to cover fees, although this is risky because rental income isn't guaranteed, and will be depleted by maintenance and repairs. You can consider equity release to free up some of the value in the property, but this is expensive. There will be a set up cost, and usually any interest on the loan will roll up, and needs to repaid when the property is sold. There's also the option of a deferred payment arrangement with the local council, which is a bit like equity release, but run by the council and slightly less expensive. But for many people, the most sensible option ends up being selling up. You might pay fees from the lump sum as you go along, but it's worth considering an immediate needs care annuity instead. These pay a fixed amount to the care home every month for the rest of their life, and tend to cover the gap between pension income and the cost of care. Talking to your loved ones about care, and how they'd pay for it, is difficult, but it's a far easier conversation well in advance, when they have time to make a plan. It's much more stressful to try to discuss this at the point they already need care and are starting to panic about how they're going to pay for more: How to tell if you're rich Should people keep working until later in life? How to get your children to move outSign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Will the UK spending review lead to autumn tax rises? Have your say
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to deliver the outcome of the UK government's spending review on Wednesday, 11 May, setting out departmental budgets for the next few years. The review will set out the day-to-day spending on public services, such as the NHS and schools, as well as planned areas of investment, including infrastructure and research. Health and defence are expected to be among the "winners" from Wednesday's spending review. In addition, the government said on Sunday that Reeves would unveil an £86bn boost for funding research and development in her announcement on Wednesday. Read more: Stocks to watch this week: TSMC, Adobe, Tesco, Bellway and Inditex However, the government faces a tough fiscal situation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned last week that "sharp trade-offs are unavoidable". "A more generous NHS settlement, or going further and faster on defence spending, would make cuts to other public services even more likely," the think-tank said. "Within the category of 'unprotected' departments, larger increases for some areas – prisons, say, which face well-publicised challenges – would mean less (i.e. bigger cuts) for others." In a note on Friday, Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said that the spending review would "shine a light on the tight fiscal position. And Reeves' problems are far from over. U-turns on benefit spending and higher borrowing costs may mean to maintain the current buffer against her fiscal rules Reeves has to raise £18-46bn in the autumn budget." Gregory said in a separate note that those U-turns on benefit and welfare spending, along with increased pressure to ramp up defence spending and higher borrowing costs, had left Reeves in a "sticky position". "If she wishes to avoid a political backlash and/or an adverse reaction in the financial markets, she probably has little choice but to raise taxes in the autumn budget," Gregory said. In addition, Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "If a potential funding gap emerges [from the spending review], there's going to be speculation that taxes could be hiked to close it. "The government very broadly has two options when it comes to fund raising from taxes. It could make a whole host of smaller tax tweaks – all of which could cause their own problems, or it could tackle a major tax, which would be politically risky." Do you think the spending review could open the door to tax rises being announced in the autumn budget? Vote in the poll below. Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. Read more: How school fees can affect your mortgage borrowing The cost of caring for a loved one What is the Pension Investment Review?Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
