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Glasgow Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Care homes and hospices must have right to opt out of assisted dying, MPs hear
Demonstrators gathered outside Parliament as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill came back to the Commons for the first time since a historic yes vote in November saw a majority of MPs support the principle of assisted dying. Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and is one of the most high-profile backers of the Bill, appealed for MPs to vote for what she termed a 'crucial reform'. She urged them to change the law 'as so many other countries have, not for me and for those like me who are running rapidly out of time, but for future generations to have the right if necessary, not to shorten their lives, to shorten their deaths'. Dame Esther also suggested many MPs opposed to the Bill have 'undeclared personal religious beliefs which mean no precautions would satisfy them'. But Labour's Jess Asato criticised the Childline founder's comments as 'distasteful and disrespectful'. Opponents have argued the Bill does not have enough safeguards and has been rushed through, with two royal medical colleges voicing their doubts on the legislation in its current form. Among those opposed to the Bill, Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson – who would have a vote on the Bill should it make its way to the Lords – has argued the Bill has 'not been made safer', criticising the scrapping of the much-lauded High Court safeguard in favour of expert panels. Other changes made to the Bill – which concerns only England and Wales – in recent months during a weeks-long committee process include the timeframe in which an assisted dying service might come into effect being doubled to four years from royal assent. In its current form the Bill would mean terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, with approval needed from two doctors and the expert panel. Kim Leadbeater is the MP behind the assisted dying Bill (Jordan Pettitt/PA) It is possible this part of the parliamentary process, known as the report stage, will run into a second day next month, meaning a vote on approval or rejection of the overall Bill would not take place on Friday. Bringing her Bill back to Parliament, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said assisted dying must be legalised to avoid terminally ill people acting out of desperation or making 'traumatic' trips to Switzerland. As Friday's session – which could last for up to five hours – opened, she told MPs gathered in the Commons: 'Put simply, if we do not vote to change the law, we are essentially saying that the status quo is acceptable.' Referring to stories she had heard of people dying in 'deeply difficult and traumatic circumstances', she added: 'Too many have seen their terminally ill loved ones take their own lives out of desperation, or make the traumatic, lonely and costly trip to Switzerland, and then face a police investigation while dealing with their grief and loss.' Following a Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) statement this week on its 'serious concerns' including on numbers of psychiatrists available to sit on panels assessing a terminally ill person's application, Ms Leadbeater told MPs said she 'wouldn't anticipate any problems' on staffing. Dame Esther Rantzen said she remains a strong supporter of the assisted dying Bill (Esther Rantzen/PA) Amendments being discussed on Friday included ensuring care homes and hospices can decide whether or not to be involved in assisted dying and that their funding would not be affected based on their decision. Conservative MP Rebecca Paul, who tabled both amendments, said they 'provide important protections' which she argued 'are currently lacking in the Bill'. She told MPs: 'Whether you're in favour of assisted dying or not, we must preserve the rights of organisations, companies and charities to choose whether to offer it. They must never be bought into it by public funding being conditional on the provision of assisted dying.' Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh used his speech to express the views of a care home manager who spoke of the 'unworkable nature of individual exclusion from the processes of assisted dying in social care environments' Quoting the care home boss, he said: 'Specific exclusion of the care home sector should be a feature of the Bill. In any case, organisations and sites should and must be given the ability to exclude themselves from the act of assisted death.' Elsewhere, Labour's Dame Meg Hillier spoke of her concern that patients could 'feel pressured into ending their lives' if doctors are able to raise the prospect of assisted dying with patients first in a conversation. Dame Meg has urged MPs to support her amendments which would mean that could not happen, and that health professionals could not raise the topic with under-18s. She said the issue is 'a very difficult thing for a lot of people to understand, but particularly for young people' and warned of adolescents being 'more likely to take risks'. Campaigners opposed to the assisted dying legislation demonstrate outside the Palace of Westminster in London, ahead of the Bill's report stage (Rosie Shead/PA) Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said there was additional danger presented by social media on the topic, telling the Commons she had heard 'almost all of our young people across the UK are having their mental health impacted by social media'. She said: 'If we throw this into the mix, this has the potential to do untold damage.' But Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine suggested patients not being given 'all the options' by medical professionals could see them, particularly young people who might be active on social media, tempted to search online for their own information. She said: 'The automatic reaction is to go and Google everything, in fact we all do it … the danger is if they are not told all the options, if they are not given the guidance that's available, then they will go to Google and what we will see is yet more of the dangerous suicide attempts that we see at the moment.' The Government is neutral on the Bill and any votes MPs make are according to their own conscience rather than along party lines.
Western Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Dame Esther Rantzen ‘terrified' her family could be traumatised by her death
Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of the terminally-ill broadcaster and Childline founder, was among demonstrators who gathered outside Parliament on Friday morning ahead of a debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Campaigners from both sides of the debate were present, with those opposing the law change holding placards reading 'assist us in living not dying' and 'kill the Bill not the ill', while posters held by supporters of the Bill included slogans such as 'my dying wish is autonomy' and 'my dying wish is humanity'. Speaking to the PA news agency, Ms Wilcox said of her mother: 'She believes in compassion and kindness, she has campaigned for that in various forms. Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of Dame Esther Rantzen, joined campaigners supporting the Bill (Ben Whitley/PA) 'She's campaigned for that for children, she's campaigned for that for old people – now this campaign is about the end of our lives.' Ms Wilcox said she was fearful her mother, who has cancer, would have a 'traumatic death', adding: 'I don't want to witness that, she doesn't want us to witness that. 'She's terrified that our memories of her – and they are such good memories – will be destroyed by a bad death, and so she's asking for choice for everybody. 'Unfortunately, it won't be in time for her.' In a statement, Dame Esther urged MPs to support the Bill and said: 'All we terminally-ill adults ask of our MPs is to remember how much suffering our current messy cruel criminal law creates. 'How many lonely painful deaths. How many suicides. How many agonising memories have been created by it. 'We all hope for a good, pain-free death for ourselves and those we love and care for. Campaigners opposing the proposed assisted dying legislation also gathered on Friday (Rosie Shead/PA) 'Please vote for this crucial reform, as so many other countries have, not for me and for those like me who are running rapidly out of time, but for future generations to have the right, if necessary, not to shorten their lives, to shorten their deaths.' Baroness Ilora Finlay, who sits in the House of Lords and is a former palliative medicine consultant, said amendments proposed to the Bill felt like a 'muddle and a mess'. She said: 'It feels really dangerous because there are loopholes in it, things which have not been thought through. 'I know there are amendments down to try to address some of those, but we don't know whether they will be taken in the Commons procedure and I think it could potentially fundamentally change the whole role of doctors towards their patients in a very adverse way, and actually it won't solve the problem of people having bad deaths.' She added: 'The test for mental capacity is tremendously inadequate, because you need to have capacity for the decision you're taking, not just overall, for other decisions in life, like where you're going or what you're wearing or what you're eating. 'This is an enormous decision and, importantly, the most difficult time for people is at the time that they get a devastating diagnosis and they need support, and they need clinicians who can communicate well with them. 'This Bill addresses nothing like that.' Instead of assisted dying, Baroness Finlay said that improvements need to be made to palliative care. Demonstrators opposing the assisted dying legislation have argued that improvements should be made to palliative care (Rosie Shead/PA) 'We need to improve care everywhere for everyone who's terminally ill and who's facing difficult times, and we can do that much more cost effectively,' she added. Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, said assisted dying was 'really dangerous'. 'People are not articulate, people are not used to making decisions for themselves,' he said. 'Once you put assisted suicide or euthanasia into medicine, which is what's being proposed, there are lots and lots of vulnerable people at a huge risk of pressure or abuse, perhaps, by partners or, alternatively, just feeling a burden. ' Those opposing the Bill were joined by actor and disability campaigner Liz Carr. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is currently at report stage – where MPs will debate and vote on various amendments. It is the first time the Bill is returning to the Commons since it passed second reading in a historic vote in November, when MPs supported it by a majority of 55.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dame Esther Rantzen ‘terrified' her family could be traumatised by her death
Dame Esther Rantzen is 'terrified' her family's memories of her will be tainted if she suffers a 'traumatic death', her daughter has said. Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of the terminally-ill broadcaster and Childline founder, was among demonstrators who gathered outside Parliament on Friday morning ahead of a debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Campaigners from both sides of the debate were present, with those opposing the law change holding placards reading 'assist us in living not dying' and 'kill the Bill not the ill', while posters held by supporters of the Bill included slogans such as 'my dying wish is autonomy' and 'my dying wish is humanity'. Speaking to the PA news agency, Ms Wilcox said of her mother: 'She believes in compassion and kindness, she has campaigned for that in various forms. 'She's campaigned for that for children, she's campaigned for that for old people – now this campaign is about the end of our lives.' Ms Wilcox said she was fearful her mother, who has cancer, would have a 'traumatic death', adding: 'I don't want to witness that, she doesn't want us to witness that. 'She's terrified that our memories of her – and they are such good memories – will be destroyed by a bad death, and so she's asking for choice for everybody. 'Unfortunately, it won't be in time for her.' In a statement, Dame Esther urged MPs to support the Bill and said: 'All we terminally-ill adults ask of our MPs is to remember how much suffering our current messy cruel criminal law creates. 'How many lonely painful deaths. How many suicides. How many agonising memories have been created by it. 'We all hope for a good, pain-free death for ourselves and those we love and care for. 'Please vote for this crucial reform, as so many other countries have, not for me and for those like me who are running rapidly out of time, but for future generations to have the right, if necessary, not to shorten their lives, to shorten their deaths.' Baroness Ilora Finlay, who sits in the House of Lords and is a former palliative medicine consultant, said amendments proposed to the Bill felt like a 'muddle and a mess'. She said: 'It feels really dangerous because there are loopholes in it, things which have not been thought through. 'I know there are amendments down to try to address some of those, but we don't know whether they will be taken in the Commons procedure and I think it could potentially fundamentally change the whole role of doctors towards their patients in a very adverse way, and actually it won't solve the problem of people having bad deaths.' She added: 'The test for mental capacity is tremendously inadequate, because you need to have capacity for the decision you're taking, not just overall, for other decisions in life, like where you're going or what you're wearing or what you're eating. 'This is an enormous decision and, importantly, the most difficult time for people is at the time that they get a devastating diagnosis and they need support, and they need clinicians who can communicate well with them. 'This Bill addresses nothing like that.' Instead of assisted dying, Baroness Finlay said that improvements need to be made to palliative care. 'We need to improve care everywhere for everyone who's terminally ill and who's facing difficult times, and we can do that much more cost effectively,' she added. Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, said assisted dying was 'really dangerous'. 'People are not articulate, people are not used to making decisions for themselves,' he said. 'Once you put assisted suicide or euthanasia into medicine, which is what's being proposed, there are lots and lots of vulnerable people at a huge risk of pressure or abuse, perhaps, by partners or, alternatively, just feeling a burden. ' Those opposing the Bill were joined by actor and disability campaigner Liz Carr. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is currently at report stage – where MPs will debate and vote on various amendments. It is the first time the Bill is returning to the Commons since it passed second reading in a historic vote in November, when MPs supported it by a majority of 55.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Assisted dying law change set for major moment as MPs prepare for key votes
MPs will debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - spearheaded by Labour's Kim Leadbeater - on Friday for the first time since November's yes vote A historic bid to legalise assisted dying is set to reach a milestone moment as it returns to the Commons for key votes. MPs will debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - spearheaded by Labour's Kim Leadbeater - on Friday for the first time since November's yes vote. If it becomes law it would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales - with fewer than six months left to live - to apply for an assisted death. After months of intense scrutiny, MPs will vote on key amendments on Friday before a crunch vote on the controversial issue next month. Campaigners for and against assisted dying are expected to be watching the debate from the public gallery of the House of Commons. Among them will be Louise Shackleton, who took her husband Anthony, 59, who had motor neurone disease, to Diginitas in Switzerland to die in December. Louise, 58, from North Yorkshire, is now being investigated by the police. On Thursday she attended a pro-assisted dying demo in Parliament Square organised by Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision, urging MPs to back the bill. They appeared alongside black suitcases with the words "Stop Exporting Compassion" in reference to their harrowing trips with loved ones to Dignitas. READ MORE: 'My dad went to Dignitas to die and UK law robbed me of chance to say thanks to him' In a message to MPs ahead of Friday's votes, Louise told The Mirror: "I'm aware it's a free vote of their own conscience. "But the reason they've got that free vote of their conscience is because society put them where they are today. It would be abhorrent for them not to look at the community that they live in and look at the overwhelming majority of the British public - the last poll says 79% - of a choice of how they die. "I understand some MPs are voting with regards to their religious beliefs. However, I may not share their beliefs, just like they might not share my beliefs. So put those beliefs aside and let the people choose how and when and where they want to die." She added: "We as human beings need to treat humans as well as we treat animals. If I was to have kept a dog the way that I was going to be expected to keep my husband, I would have been arrested, I would be prosecuted, I would be put in prison and I would be banned from keeping an animal again. But yet my husband was expected to suffer more than any other animal." On Thursday Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of assisted dying during the first Commons vote last year, signalled he still backed a change in the law. But he stressed the government remains neutral, with MPs given a free vote on the issue. The PM said: "What I would say is that from my own experience in this field, I dealt with it when I was the chief prosecutor, is that I do understand there are different views, strongly held views on both sides that have to be respected." He added: "My views have been consistent throughout." Writing for The Mirror, Ms Leadbeater also said: "When MPs enter the chamber this morning, watching from the gallery will be terminally ill people and bereaved family members who are counting on us to make our law better, safer and kinder – not just for them but for all of us, whatever we might choose. We are closer than ever to achieving the change the British public have long been calling for." But the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said on Thursday it believes there are "concerning deficiencies" with the proposed legislation. The RCP's clinical vice president, Dr John Dean, said: "Our members and fellows who we represent have a wide range of views on assisted dying. "While the RCP neither supports or opposes a change in the law on this matter, the Bill in its current form has concerning deficiencies." He added: "Notably, the proposed mechanisms of decision making are not in line with good clinical and professional practice. Further statutory guidance is also required to ensure effective regulation of drugs, providers, and the involvement of clinicians. "Parliament must address these critical issues in the legislation or risk failing to protect vulnerable patients and uphold the integrity of clinical practice."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Isle of Man takes further step towards legalising assisted dying
Campaigners have hailed a 'historic' step on the Isle of Man, as it edged closer to potentially becoming the first part of the British Isles to legalise assisted dying. The House of Keys voted on various amendments to the assisted dying Bill before sending it back to the upper chamber – known as the legislative council – next month, from where it could be sent for royal assent. Dr Alex Allinson, the member of the House of Keys (MHK) who introduced the private member's bill in 2022, has said he is hopeful it can become law later this year and that an assisted dying service could be in place by 2027. Campaigners opposed to a change in the law have voiced concerns that legalising assisted dying could put pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a burden on others, and argue that the disabled, elderly, sick or depressed could be especially at risk. As it stands, the Isle of Man Bill is only for adults resident on the island for five years who have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of no more than 12 months, and who have a settled intention to end their life. Doctors are free to choose whether they want to opt-in to the service, following a previous request from the British Medical Association (BMA) that this should be a choice. The legislative council had recommended the residency criteria be reduced from five years to one since the person's diagnosis, but the House of Keys rejected this during the sitting on Tuesday. The Bill includes a requirement for specific training for healthcare professionals to identify coercion, duress or undue influence, with Dr Allinson saying it has 'strengthened safeguards' having faced scrutiny in the various debates since first being introduced. The House of Keys rejected other amendments on recording the occupation of the witness to the assisted dying application, and for someone to remain present in the room at all times with a dying person, instead suggesting a doctor should be in close proximity. It is possible the legislative council could disagree with some of the amendments and choose to send the Bill back to the House of Keys. But Dr Allinson told the PA news agency: 'I am hoping we can work with the legislative council to achieve consensus for this to then go on for royal assent hopefully later this year.' The development on the Isle of Man comes as a committee of MPs resumed line-by-line scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, covering England and Wales, on Tuesday. The Bill is expected to return to the House of Commons, most likely towards the end of April, for further debate and a vote by all MPs. In May last year, Jersey's parliament voted in favour of drawing up laws to establish an assisted dying service on the island for terminally ill people. After a law has been drafted, a debate could take place by the end of this year, with a likely 18-month implementation period if a law is approved, meaning the earliest for it to come into effect would be summer 2027. Scotland is also considering separate assisted dying legislation. Vicky Christian, chair of pro-change group My Death, My Decision on the Isle of Man, said: 'This is a historic step, and is likely the last time the Bill will be debated in the lower chamber. 'This Bill will ensure people on the Isle of Man will finally have choice and dignity at the end of their lives. 'I am incredibly proud of our island for not only listening to its people but, more importantly, listening to those facing the end of life. In this debate, compassion and evidence have prevailed.' Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing – which is opposed to a change in the law, said: 'The current laws prohibiting assisted suicide and euthanasia provide a safeguard against abuse and exploitation and do not need changing.' He repeated calls for a focus on 'fixing the broken palliative care system'.
