Assisted dying: The heat and emotion of today's significant vote
Today's vote is hugely significant. It now looks highly likely that assisted dying will be introduced in England and Wales.The vote by MPs to approve Kim Leadbeater's bill is arguably the biggest vote regarding bodily autonomy since the legalisation of abortion in Great Britain in 1967.In the baking heat of London's Parliament Square today, hundreds of campaigners stood chanting their views - both for and against assisted dying - amid a sea of colourful banners and placards.There was emotion too. Some carried photos of loved ones who died in pain, while others expressed their fears for the vulnerable in society.The debate around assisted dying has been a polarised one - and there are still hurdles to cross before it will be a reality here.
What happens next?
The Terminally Ill (End of Life) Bill will now go to the Lords, where it is likely to spend several months undergoing the same line-by-line scrutiny that it did before MPs.Later this year, perhaps around October, the bill would come back to the Commons for any changes to be voted on and it could then be sent for Royal Assent.
So when could assisted dying become available in England and Wales?The government has said it could take up to four years to set up an assisted dying service, meaning it could be 2029 or even 2030 before the first medically-assisted death happens.Health minister Stephen Kinnock said this delay was needed to ensure "safe and effective implementation" of an "entirely new service with robust safeguards and protections" which would need to be "carefully developed and tested".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.They would need to make two separate declarations, signed and witnessed, about their "clear, settled and informed" wish to die, and satisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible, and have not been coerced.There would be at least a seven-day gap between each assessment.The application would then go before a multidisciplinary panel comprising a psychiatrist, social worker and a lawyer.The panel would hear evidence from at least one of the doctors and the applicant, possibly via live video.If the panel approved the application there would be a further 14-day "period of reflection" which could be cut to 48 hours if the patient is likely to die within a month.
Ms Leadbeater has said the whole process could take up to two months, which does raise the risk of people dying while they are waiting for approval.The process is also far longer than other comparable services on which the Leadbeater bill is based.In Oregon, the first US state to legalise assisted dying nearly 30 years ago, there is a 15-day waiting period between the first and second request. Since 2020, this restriction has been lifted for patients at risk of imminent death.In California, the 15-day cooling off period has been cut to 48 hours because of the risk of patients dying before their medically assisted death is approved.England's chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty has cautioned against creating a system that would risk terminally ill patients being "stuck in a bureaucratic thicket" in their final months of life.While the Leadbeater bill contains a lot of detail, there is still plenty to sort out if it becomes law.
Training for doctors
If the legislation is passed, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who voted against the bill, will be required to set up an assisted dying service under the NHS This means sorting out the training for doctors who will assess patients for capacity and for any signs of coercion or pressure, plus creating safeguards for those with a learning disability.When MPs first voted on the issue in November, the plans included a High Court judge who would need to approve each case.That proposal has now been dropped and replaced with the panel.The new service will be overseen by a voluntary assisted dying commissioner, who will be either a serving or retired senior judge.Their role will include appointing members of review panels, referring cases to them and monitoring the operation of the law.
Although the proposed law is based on legislation in 10 US states and Australia, there are important differences.In California, patients are able to store the lethal medication at home and they are not required to have a medical professional present when they die.Under the Leadbeater bill, a doctor would prepare the drug, and be present when the patient self-administers it.This would usually mean swallowing the lethal substance, although if that is not possible, the bill allows for a "medical device" to be used to enable the patient to ingest it.There will be strict limits on what a doctor can and can't do. Mr Kinnock said it would be legal for them to help a patient sit up and make them comfortable, but not for them to tip a cup of pills into their mouth.The health secretary will regulate what drugs can be used. In all likelihood these will come in a powdered form and need to be mixed with liquid for swallowing.
Elsewhere in the world
I was present at an assisted death in California and witnessed the doctor adding fruit juice to the drug in order to make it more palatable and less bitter for the patient to swallow.On that occasion the patient, Wayne Hawkins, was unconscious within a few minutes of swallowing the drug and died in around 35 minutes.BBC iplayer - Assisted dying: The Final ChoiceDeaths usually occur within an hour although there have been rare cases of it taking several days.In some other countries that have legalised assisted dying, euthanasia is permitted, whereby a doctor or nurse administers the lethal dose, usually by injection.Euthanasia is allowed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but even for most supporters of assisted dying here, it is seen as a step too far.An impact assessment, carried out by civil servants estimated there could be between 1,042 and 4,559 assisted deaths in the 10th year after the law came into force.That upper estimate would represent around 1% of all deaths in England and Wales.Whatever happens to the Leadbeater bill in the coming months, assisted dying is coming to the British Isles.The Isle of Man has already approved an assisted dying bill and Jersey is also committed to changing the law.A bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland has passed an initial vote at Holyrood, but faces further hurdles. The Scottish bill does not have a life expectancy timescale for eligibility and instead refers to advanced and progressive disease that is expected to cause premature death.Assisted dying, or assisted suicide as many critics prefer to call it, remains illegal in most of the world.Modern medicine means that healthcare systems can keep people alive longer than ever before, but often with limited quality of life.Supporters say that assisted dying gives autonomy and control to patients. For opponents it is a chilling and dangerous step which puts the vulnerable at risk of coercion.Whatever happens to the bill at Westminster, this heated and polarising debate will continue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
It is time to suspend Dominic Grieve's anti-Islamophobia group
There have been too many casualties in the grooming gang scandal. Yet so far, the political consequences have been few. It is far from clear however that Dominic Grieve's Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group can, or should, survive this week's fall out. What a few weeks ago was dismissed as 'dog-whistle' politics or the agenda of the 'far-Right' – the scandal of mass grooming of girls by mostly Pakistani origin males – is now viewed very differently. This shifting ground greatly impacts attempts to establish a definition of 'Islamophobia ' – controversially signposted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in February. A new Policy Exchange report How Not to Tackle Grooming Gangs: The National Grooming Gang Inquiry and a Definition of Islamophobia details just how difficult it has been, for over two decades, to describe openly what people could see about grooming gangs with their own eyes. Let four examples suffice here. For her past work on Rotherham, Louise Casey was put forward for an 'Islamophobe of the year award' by one activist group. The late journalist Andrew Norfolk was vilified, as was then Labour MP for Keighley, Ann Cryer. In 2020, when broadcaster Trevor Phillips was suspended by Labour for alleged Islamophobia, the first charge listed was journalism where he had written of 'the exposure of systematic and longstanding abuse by men, mostly of Pakistani Muslim origin in the North of England.' How ridiculous this orthodoxy now looks. On one level, Government appears to accept this new reality. On Monday the Home Secretary declared 'those vile perpetrators who have grown used to the authorities looking the other way must have no place to hide.' As she spoke, she was surrounded by female Labour MPs who appeared chastened by the weight of events. And yet, there are grounds for pessimism. For the national inquiry into grooming gangs to work it cannot be placed in a straitjacket. It will need to shine a torchlight into every Whitehall office, every stalled police inquiry, each Town Hall in England, and every licensing arrangement between a local authority and a taxi firm. Its hands cannot be tied by political, social or religious considerations. As Yvette Cooper spoke in the Commons, others were risking that very scenario. The call for evidence by Grieve's working group is underway, as he seeks to develop a new definition of Islamophobia. While ministers have said this would not be statutory, if accepted by the public and private sector (as activists will demand) it would in practice become binding policy if not law. To that backdrop, how confident would a care worker, teacher or local councillor in Rochdale or Rotherham be, about speaking openly on issues which concern them? Angela Rayner should thank Dominic Grieve and his team for their work, then put the group on ice. If the grooming gang inquiry finds fears of prejudice and Islamophobia have undermined the response to grooming gangs, then the retirement of the Islamophobia Definition Working Group must become permanent.
Times
42 minutes ago
- Times
Eight arrests as protesters ‘attacked' outside Iranian embassy in London
Eight men have been arrested after anti-regime activists were allegedly assaulted outside the Iranian embassy on Friday morning. Scores of police officers were deployed to the scene after being alerted to reports of an altercation outside the building in Knightsbridge, west London, just before 10am. Two men were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Officials said their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. • Iran's 'propagandist-in-chief' billed to speak at Scottish mosque Police imposed conditions stopping protesters from gathering in the area until 1pm on Sunday to 'prevent serious disorder', but one man was arrested for allegedly breaching the civil order. Scotland Yard said seven men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. All suspects remained in police custody on Friday afternoon. Amir, 30, a member of a pro-Iranian monarchy group, claimed one of the two injured men suffered a 'broken leg'. The construction worker, who withheld his surname, said the activists had staged a 'peaceful protest' outside the embassy since the Israeli attacks on Iran began last week. Amir claimed the members have had 'problems' with supporters of the Islamic regime during that time. The protest was said to have been an anti-regime demonstration, amid the continuing Israel-Iran conflict. The police said the rally involved both pro and anti-regime protesters. Pro-Shah protesters were seen flying different flags supporting Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, including the national flag used before the 1979 Islamist revolution. Officers were seen on patrol in the area to monitor the situation after cordons were lifted later in the afternoon. Pro-Iranian monarchy protesters told The Times they were told to disperse and dismantle flags and banners festooned on railings opposite the embassy. The Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers are on scene in Princes Gate, SW7, following an altercation during a protest. 'They were called at 9.53am on Friday. Conditions have since been put in place to prevent serious disorder.' The police said that eight men remained in police custody and that the two men treated at the scene were in hospital. London Ambulance Service added: 'We were called at 9.56am on [Friday] to reports of an assault in Princes Gate. 'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our tactical response unit. We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.' The attack unfolded as the war between Israel and Iran continued to escalate and both nations engaged in missile strikes. President Trump said that he would decide in the next fortnight whether or not the US would intervene in the conflict.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'People should die naturally' - mixed views on assisted dying debate
MPs agreed this week to back a bill that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for some terminally ill adults. The BBC visited the Spen Valley constituency of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the bill, to hear what local people thought of the historic vote. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was approved with a majority of 23 votes, would allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get medical assistance to end their own lives - if eligible. It will now go to the Lords, where it is likely to face further 52, does not support the bill."People should be born and they should die naturally," she said."When you get to the end of your life and you're in so much pain, a bit like I am, you have days where you wish you weren't here and then you have days when you wish you were. "I don't think it's right that people should end their own lives." Leadbeater told the BBC she was "over the moon" after the bill was backed by 314 votes to 291."I know what this means for terminally ill people and their loved ones," she week also marks nine years since the murder of Leadbeater's sister, Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, making it a "particularly emotional week" for added: "Jo used to say if good people don't step forward and come into politics then what do we end up with?"And even though some of us feel quite out of place in this place at times, we are here to make a difference and we're here to make positive change that society has asked us to do." Adam Bishop, 35, said he was "all for it"."I have an auntie at the moment who's got advanced Alzheimer's, so I'm seeing her steady decline and how week to week she's getting worse and worse," he said."I know she'll probably never be able to agree to that, but obviously it's a step in the right direction for others."Mr Bishop said people should not have to suffer."I do believe with your own life, you should be given the choice when you want to end it and in a dignified way," he added. Critics have argued the bill risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death, something Phoenix Grey is also concerned 38-year-old from Batley said his support would depend on the rules and regulations put in place to protect people."It's going to have to be really strict," he said."It's to make sure they're 100% sure, then to give them time once they've made that decision to come back later down the line."If they still think it's the right decision only then can it go ahead." Before the vote, the House of Commons spent more than three hours debating the general principles of the Benita Althwaite, 68, said it felt "right" that people could decide to end their lives."It's making me cry because, you know, the thought that anybody's become so upset or in a position where they just want to be at peace," she said."It's everybody's right to do what they want with their body now or in the future." MPs were allowed a free vote on the bill, meaning they did not have to follow a party approved by the House of Lords, ministers would have a maximum of four years to implement the measures, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying becomes available. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
