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South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Campaigners for and against assisted dying make feelings known at Westminster
Dame Prue Leith, Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, and the broadcaster, Jonathan Dimbleby, were among the high-profile figures supporting the Bill to change the law in England and Wales. Members of the Dignity in Dying campaign wore pink and held placards in memory of friends and family members. Those opposed to the Bill included groups dressed as scientists in white lab coats and bloodied gloves and masks, as well as nuns and other members of religious organisations. The mood amongst campaigners was largely calm and respectful on both sides. Dame Prue told the PA news agency she was 'both nervous and confident' about the outcome. 'It's so moving to see all these people with placards of people they've lost or people who are dying of cancer,' she said. 'It's hard not to cry because I think they have done such a good job. Let's hope we've won.' Mr Dimbleby said he believed the Bill would be 'transformative'. He added: 'What it will mean is millions of people will be able to say to themselves, 'If I'm terminally ill, I will be able to choose, assuming I am of sound mind and I am not being coerced, to say 'Yes, I want to be assisted – I have dignity in death'.' Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of Dame Esther, said: 'It couldn't be a kinder, more compassionate Bill that respects choice at the end of life, that respects kindness and empathy and gives us all an option when other options, every other option, has been taken away, and it would just be the perfect tool for a palliative care doctor to have in their med bag.' Teachers Catie and Becky Fenner said they wanted other families to benefit from the Bill. Their mother, who had motor neurone disease, had flown to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life at a cost of £15,000. The sisters said they did not get to properly say goodbye and grieve and worried about the legal repercussions. Catie, 37, said: 'We were left quite traumatised by the whole experience – not only seeing a parent go through a really horrible disease but then the secrecy of the planning.' Campaigners against the Bill, who were gathered outside Parliament, chanted 'We are not dead yet' and 'Kill the Bill, not the ill'. A display was erected with a gravestone reading 'RIP: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Bury it deep', and behind were two mounds meant to resemble graves. Andrew Hilliard, 75, said he was opposed for religious reasons. He was dressed in a white lab coat with a placard reading: 'Protect our NHS from becoming the National Suicide Service'. The chief executive of Care Not Killing, Dr Gordon Macdonald, said MPs should prioritise improving palliative care. He said: 'Most people, when thinking about the practical implications of this, for those most vulnerable, they change their minds.' George Fielding, a campaigner affiliated with the Not Dead Yet group which is opposed to assisted dying, said he attended to represent disabled people. He said: 'This Bill will endanger and shorten the lives of disabled people.'
Leader Live
a day ago
- Health
- Leader Live
Campaigners for and against assisted dying make feelings known at Westminster
Dame Prue Leith, Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, and the broadcaster, Jonathan Dimbleby, were among the high-profile figures supporting the Bill to change the law in England and Wales. Members of the Dignity in Dying campaign wore pink and held placards in memory of friends and family members. Those opposed to the Bill included groups dressed as scientists in white lab coats and bloodied gloves and masks, as well as nuns and other members of religious organisations. The mood amongst campaigners was largely calm and respectful on both sides. Dame Prue told the PA news agency she was 'both nervous and confident' about the outcome. 'It's so moving to see all these people with placards of people they've lost or people who are dying of cancer,' she said. 'It's hard not to cry because I think they have done such a good job. Let's hope we've won.' Mr Dimbleby said he believed the Bill would be 'transformative'. He added: 'What it will mean is millions of people will be able to say to themselves, 'If I'm terminally ill, I will be able to choose, assuming I am of sound mind and I am not being coerced, to say 'Yes, I want to be assisted – I have dignity in death'.' Rebecca Wilcox, the daughter of Dame Esther, said: 'It couldn't be a kinder, more compassionate Bill that respects choice at the end of life, that respects kindness and empathy and gives us all an option when other options, every other option, has been taken away, and it would just be the perfect tool for a palliative care doctor to have in their med bag.' Teachers Catie and Becky Fenner said they wanted other families to benefit from the Bill. Their mother, who had motor neurone disease, had flown to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life at a cost of £15,000. The sisters said they did not get to properly say goodbye and grieve and worried about the legal repercussions. Catie, 37, said: 'We were left quite traumatised by the whole experience – not only seeing a parent go through a really horrible disease but then the secrecy of the planning.' Campaigners against the Bill, who were gathered outside Parliament, chanted 'We are not dead yet' and 'Kill the Bill, not the ill'. A display was erected with a gravestone reading 'RIP: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Bury it deep', and behind were two mounds meant to resemble graves. Andrew Hilliard, 75, said he was opposed for religious reasons. He was dressed in a white lab coat with a placard reading: 'Protect our NHS from becoming the National Suicide Service'. The chief executive of Care Not Killing, Dr Gordon Macdonald, said MPs should prioritise improving palliative care. He said: 'Most people, when thinking about the practical implications of this, for those most vulnerable, they change their minds.' George Fielding, a campaigner affiliated with the Not Dead Yet group which is opposed to assisted dying, said he attended to represent disabled people. He said: 'This Bill will endanger and shorten the lives of disabled people.'
Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
'I'm disabled and 99% bed-bound but live life to the full - why the assisted dying bill is wrong'
'I'm disabled and 99% bed-bound but live life to the full - why the assisted dying bill is wrong' Nicki Myers has a condition which means she is barely ever able to leave her bed but says pressures from elsewhere could impact decisions on whether people live or die Supporters of the "Not Dead Yet" campaign, previously protested outside the Houses of Parliament (Image: Getty Images ) Nicki Myers has a condition which means she can barely leave her bed. The 52-year-old has pulmonary fibrosis which means she is 99% bed-bound. But she says with the help of her local hospice she is still able to live life to the full. But she fears moves to introduce assisted dying to the UK could leave people in her position facing choices over whether to live or die. Now she has joined with other disabled campaigners to argue the Westminster assisted dying Bill violates their rights under a United Nations (UN) convention. And they say their voices have been 'ignored' in the debate. The move is being backed by campaign groups including Disabled People Against Cuts, Disability Rights UK and Not Dead Yet UK. Nicki, who lives in Cambridge, is making a complaint alongside Essex-based Nicola Waters, 51, calling on the United Nations to declare that the passage of assisted dying legislation violates the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD). Ms Myers said she was given five years to live seven years ago. She said: 'I was motivated to be a complainant in this case because I believe the way this legislation has been introduced, as a Private Members Bill, has meant the voices of people in my position (those who want to keep living as well as possible for as long as possible, and with good quality services) have been ignored. 'I also believe the timing of this Bill is wrong. When social security, fuel allowance, health, social care and palliative care services are all simultaneously under threat, it is not the right time for people to be asked if they want assistance from the state to end their lives.' Article continues below Ms Waters, who has the progressive neurodegenerative condition Motor Neurone Disease (MND), said she believes opportunities to make the Bill safer in recent months have not been taken. She fears people are being offered death rather than care. She said: 'This Bill will see those of us who live with terminal illness being offered suicide rather than the care and treatments we need to live. Numerous amendments that would have made the Bill safer have been voted down. As a result, I could be offered assisted suicide at every medical appointment I have.' The complaint contains multiple arguments, including a claim there has been a lack of pre-legislative consultation or scrutiny; the Bill has been rushed; a failure to publish accessible formats of the Bill and related material; a failure to recognise the importance of engaging with organisations run and controlled by deaf and disabled people; and inadequate arrangements for hearing from these groups at committee stage. Silent Witness actor Liz Carr is a disability rights campaigner and a member of the Not Dead Yet group (Image: Getty ) Actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr has backed the complaint, saying it feels as though the voices of disabled people have been 'sidelined' in the debate. She said: 'Considering the fact that this Bill is very much about disability (the majority of terminally ill people come under the Equality Act definition of disabled), it is shocking to me that the voices of disabled people's organisations have not been adequately heard so far. 'Varied groups of disability rights organisations should have been invited to give evidence at the committee and to do this effectively, sufficient time to prepare was needed and preparatory information in accessible formats should have been provided. Particularly during committee stage, the amount of information being shared, that we need to comment on is practically impossible to read through without the time to do this comprehensively and without the information being provided appropriately and accessibly. It also feels that our voices have been sidelined, marginalised even, as not particularly relevant to this Bill.' Article continues below Help in a crisis If you're having thoughts about suicide, are harming yourself or have considered self-harm, it's important to tell someone. These organisations give immediate support: Your local 24/7 NHS crisis line: at or visit Under 35? Visit call 0800 068 4141 (lines are open 24 hours every day of the year), text 88247 or email pat@ If you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999. The Bill is supported by MP and disability rights advocate Marie Tidball. She secured amendments to ensure the establishment of independent advocates to support people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions and to set up a disability advisory board, and has confirmed she will vote yes again at the third reading, feeling assured safeguards have been strengthened. She told reporters last month: 'I can say, as someone who has looked at legislative scrutiny over the course of the last 20 years, this is the most extraordinary, deliberative cross-party process I've ever seen.'
STV News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
TV star Liz Carr to speak out against assisted dying ahead of Holyrood vote
Actor Liz Carr is to travel to Holyrood to urge MSPs to vote against 'dangerous' plans to legalise assisted dying. Carr, who is best known for her role in the BBC crime drama Silent Witness, is also a disability rights campaigner and a member of the Not Dead Yet group, which is opposed to assisted dying. She will speak at a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, as MSPs prepare to vote on a Bill brought forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur which would allow terminally ill Scots to seek help to end their life. Mr McArthur argues his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill provides a 'compassionate choice' for those who could otherwise be faced with a painful death. But Carr said: 'Liam McArthur's Bill is dangerous for older, ill and disabled people across Scotland — even more so than the Kim Leadbeater's Bill being considered in Westminster.' Carr added: 'To qualify for assisted suicide under the Bill a person must have an 'advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover and that can reasonably be expected to cause their premature death'. 'As someone who as a teenager was told by doctors that I wouldn't live to be old because of my condition, this definition applies to me.' She continued: 'The McArthur Bill is not just about terminal illness, it's about disabled people. 'It is not a limited or modest Bill, and disabled people across Scotland are right to be deeply concerned.' Her comments came ahead of a rally by disabled people who are fearful of the impact the legislation could have on them, if it is passed. Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said: 'Disabled people, their organisations and their allies will come together to demonstrate to MSPs that they are not simply voting on the principle of a Bill, they are voting on whether it should be easier to get help to die than help to live.' Ms Duncan-Glancy, who was the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to Holyrood when she became an MSP in 2021, added: 'This is quite simply a matter of life and death. 'MSPs must think very carefully about the real-life consequences of their decision on this, and disabled people will be there to encourage them to vote against the Bill.' Meanwhile, Marianne Scobie, depute chief executive of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, said they were 'urging MSPs to hear our voices and vote against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill'. Ms Scobie said: 'The Bill's definition of terminal illness is dangerously broad and would catch many disabled people in a societal context where we are at our most vulnerable. 'Disabled people already face multiple barriers and discrimination on a daily basis and our lives are endangered by the lack of equitable access to healthcare, pain management support and cancer screening programmes. 'A key concern for many disabled people is the very real potential for Liam McArthur's legislation to be widened and safeguards to be weakened or removed over time, as has happened in many other jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal.' Dr Miro Griffiths, a spokesman for the Better Way campaign group, which opposes assisted dying, said: 'As a disabled person and academic who focuses on the inequalities my community face, I am fearful about the implications of an assisted suicide law. 'Legislating for this practice would send a regressive message that disabled people's lives are not worth living. 'Disabled people and others would inevitably choose to end their lives because they don't have access to support. This outcome is unconscionable.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
TV star Liz Carr to speak out against assisted dying ahead of Holyrood vote
Actor Liz Carr is to travel to Holyrood to urge MSPs to vote against 'dangerous' plans to legalise assisted dying. Carr, who is best known for her role in the BBC crime drama Silent Witness, is also a disability rights campaigner and a member of the Not Dead Yet group, which is opposed to assisted dying. She will speak at a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, as MSPs prepare to vote on a Bill brought forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur which would allow terminally ill Scots to seek help to end their life. Mr McArthur argues his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill provides a 'compassionate choice' for those who could otherwise be faced with a painful death. But Carr said: 'Liam McArthur's Bill is dangerous for older, ill and disabled people across Scotland — even more so than the Kim Leadbeater's Bill being considered in Westminster.' Carr added: 'To qualify for assisted suicide under the Bill a person must have an 'advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover and that can reasonably be expected to cause their premature death'. 'As someone who as a teenager was told by doctors that I wouldn't live to be old because of my condition, this definition applies to me.' She continued: 'The McArthur Bill is not just about terminal illness, it's about disabled people. 'It is not a limited or modest Bill, and disabled people across Scotland are right to be deeply concerned.' Her comments came ahead of a rally by disabled people who are fearful of the impact the legislation could have on them, if it is passed. Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said: 'Disabled people, their organisations and their allies will come together to demonstrate to MSPs that they are not simply voting on the principle of a Bill, they are voting on whether it should be easier to get help to die than help to live.' Ms Duncan-Glancy, who was the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to Holyrood when she became an MSP in 2021, added: 'This is quite simply a matter of life and death. 'MSPs must think very carefully about the real-life consequences of their decision on this, and disabled people will be there to encourage them to vote against the Bill.' Meanwhile, Marianne Scobie, depute chief executive of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, said they were 'urging MSPs to hear our voices and vote against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill'. Ms Scobie said: 'The Bill's definition of terminal illness is dangerously broad and would catch many disabled people in a societal context where we are at our most vulnerable. 'Disabled people already face multiple barriers and discrimination on a daily basis and our lives are endangered by the lack of equitable access to healthcare, pain management support and cancer screening programmes. 'A key concern for many disabled people is the very real potential for Liam McArthur's legislation to be widened and safeguards to be weakened or removed over time, as has happened in many other jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal.' Dr Miro Griffiths, a spokesman for the Better Way campaign group, which opposes assisted dying, said: 'As a disabled person and academic who focuses on the inequalities my community face, I am fearful about the implications of an assisted suicide law. 'Legislating for this practice would send a regressive message that disabled people's lives are not worth living. 'Disabled people and others would inevitably choose to end their lives because they don't have access to support. This outcome is unconscionable.'
