Latest news with #EstherRantzen
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Dame Joanna Lumley: I ‘wouldn't mind' assisted dying
Dame Joanna Lumley has said she 'wouldn't mind' an assisted death if she reached a 'miserable' state where she was unable to talk or eat without help. The 79-year-old actress says she supports the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill approved in the House of Commons last month, which would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Asked about the Bill in an interview with Saga magazine, Dame Joanna said: 'People are terribly anxious about it and think one may be coerced (into voluntary euthanasia). 'But I'm saying this now when nobody's coercing me, don't let me turn into somebody who doesn't recognise the people I love most, where I'm having a miserable time. 'When I get to the stage where I can't speak and have to be fed, that won't be me any more and that's when I wouldn't mind saying farewell.' Under the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was backed by 314 votes to 291 in the Commons, those wishing to go through assisted dying would require approval by two doctors and a panel including a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes at a date to be confirmed. Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill with cancer and has been one of the biggest proponents of the bill, has urged the House of Lords to pass the legislation. The TV presenter and campaigner, who has stopped responding to her lung cancer treatment, said: 'Their job is to scrutinise, to ask questions, but not to oppose. 'Law is actually created by the elected chamber, which is the House of Commons, who have voted this through.' Lord Shinkwin, a disabled Conservative peer, has been critical of the bill, having been in intensive care earlier this year. He said if a doctor had asked him at the time about assisted dying – which they would be able to under the provisions of the bill – he 'would have felt under real pressure to do that'. The proposal was first put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October last year and passed through the House of Commons on June 20. Sir Keir Starmer, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, were among the 224 Labour MPs who voted in favour of the bill, with 160 against. Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, was one of the 20 Conservative MPs out of 121 who voted against the bill.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Joanna Lumley ‘wouldn't mind' assisted dying if she got to a ‘miserable' state
The 79-year-old said she supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was backed by MPs in the Commons last month, that would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Asked about the Bill in an interview with Saga Magazine, Dame Joanna said: 'People are terribly anxious about it and think one may be coerced (into voluntary euthanasia). 'But I'm saying this now when nobody's coercing me, don't let me turn into somebody who doesn't recognise the people I love most, where I'm having a miserable time. 'When I get to the stage where I can't speak and have to be fed, that won't be me any more and that's when I wouldn't mind saying farewell.' The Bill would see those wishing to go through assisted dying require approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes. One of the Bill's most high-profile backers has been TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, 85, who has terminal cancer, and recently urged members of the House of Lords not to block the legislation. Dame Joanna is best known for her roles as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Sapphire in ITV supernatural series Sapphire And Steel, and in The New Avengers, the 1970s revamped version of 1960s ITV spy series The Avengers. She will appear in season two of Netflix supernatural series Wednesday as Grandmama in August.
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Joanna Lumley ‘wouldn't mind' assisted dying if she got to a ‘miserable' state
The 79-year-old said she supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was backed by MPs in the Commons last month, that would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Asked about the Bill in an interview with Saga Magazine, Dame Joanna said: 'People are terribly anxious about it and think one may be coerced (into voluntary euthanasia). 'But I'm saying this now when nobody's coercing me, don't let me turn into somebody who doesn't recognise the people I love most, where I'm having a miserable time. 'When I get to the stage where I can't speak and have to be fed, that won't be me any more and that's when I wouldn't mind saying farewell.' The Bill would see those wishing to go through assisted dying require approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes. One of the Bill's most high-profile backers has been TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, 85, who has terminal cancer, and recently urged members of the House of Lords not to block the legislation. Dame Joanna is best known for her roles as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Sapphire in ITV supernatural series Sapphire And Steel, and in The New Avengers, the 1970s revamped version of 1960s ITV spy series The Avengers. She will appear in season two of Netflix supernatural series Wednesday as Grandmama in August.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Don't let me turn into someone who doesn't recognise the people I love most', says Dame Joanna Lumley as she speaks out in favour of assisted dying
Dame Joanna Lumley has spoken out in support of the controversial assisted dying policy, saying she would not want to carry on if she couldn't recognize her loved ones. The actress, 79, said she supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would allow adults with less than six months to live to apply for assisted death. The bill passed a vote in the House of Commons last month, despite objections from Labour ministers and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and will be discussed in the House of Lords in the autumn. Dame Joanna, known for starring as Patsy in the BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous. was asked about the bill in an interview with Saga Magazine. She said: 'People are terribly anxious about it and think you may be coerced. 'But I'm saying this now, when nobody's coercing me - don't let me turn into somebody who doesn't recognize the people I love most, where I'm having a miserable time. 'When I get to that stage, when my mind is gone and I have to be fed, that won't be me any more - and I wouldn't mind saying "farewell".' TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen has been another vocal supporter of the bill and recently urged the Lords not to block the legislation. Dame Esther, 85, has terminal cancer and is being backed by her daughter Rebecca Wilcox. The support from Dame Joanna has been welcomed by campaigner Louise Shackleton. Mrs Shackleton, 58, is currently being investigated for taking her terminally ill husband Anthony, 59, to Switzerland last December to assist his suicide, after he had suffered from motor neurone disease for six years. She told The Mirror that she is set to bury his ashes today on what would have been his 60th birthday She added: 'He would have been overwhelmed that such a huge star has spoken out. 'I would like to thank Joana on behalf of fellow campaigners for having the courage to speak out and to represent the vast majority of people who are in agreement with what she is saying but haven't got her platform. 'Hopefully there will be measured, educated and community focused progress to move this forward.' The bill did have opponents from all parties including Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick. Writing for the Daily Mail, he revealed how he helped look after his grandmother, Dorothy, as a teenage boy – and how she continued to bring joy to the family as she defied a terminal diagnosis for nearly a decade. He said the prospect of legalising assisted dying 'fills me with dread', adding: 'My Nana felt like she was a burden. I know how much she hated the indignity she felt at having to ask my Mum or us to help her with basic needs. 'People like her – and there are many such people – may consider an assisted death as another act of kindness to us. How wrong they would be. 'Our society pays little regard to end of life care. We need to do much more as a country to help the elderly, like my Nana, in their final years. 'But my experience has taught me that there can be dignity in death, and that even in someone's twilight years, there is joy to be extracted from life. 'So I'll be voting No. And as I do so, I'll be thinking of my great pal – my Nana, Dorothy.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as 'a bad Bill' despite being 'previously supportive of assisted suicide'. Mother of the House Diane Abbott also asked MPs to vote against the bill, saying: 'There is no doubt that if this Bill is passed in its current form, people will lose their lives who do not need to, and they will be amongst the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joanna Lumley ‘wouldn't mind' assisted dying if she got to a ‘miserable' state
Actress Dame Joanna Lumley has said she 'wouldn't mind' undergoing assisted dying if she reached a 'miserable' state where she was unable to talk or eat without help. The 79-year-old said she supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was backed by MPs in the Commons last month, that would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Asked about the Bill in an interview with Saga Magazine, Dame Joanna said: 'People are terribly anxious about it and think one may be coerced (into voluntary euthanasia). 'But I'm saying this now when nobody's coercing me, don't let me turn into somebody who doesn't recognise the people I love most, where I'm having a miserable time. 'When I get to the stage where I can't speak and have to be fed, that won't be me any more and that's when I wouldn't mind saying farewell.' The Bill would see those wishing to go through assisted dying require approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes. One of the Bill's most high-profile backers has been TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, 85, who has terminal cancer, and recently urged members of the House of Lords not to block the legislation. Dame Joanna is best known for her roles as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Sapphire in ITV supernatural series Sapphire And Steel, and in The New Avengers, the 1970s revamped version of 1960s ITV spy series The Avengers. She will appear in season two of Netflix supernatural series Wednesday as Grandmama in August.
