A group of MPs, who are also practicing medics and former NHS staff, are advocating for the support of the assisted dying bill. These MPs, including two GPs and two surgeons, have penned a letter to their fellow MPs urging them to back the bill, emphasizing that a tightly defined bill would provide dying patients with genuine choice.
Dr. Simon Opher, a new Labour MP and general practitioner, shared his experience of caring for patients who have expressed a desire to end their lives due to unbearable suffering. He highlighted the importance of having a bill that is carefully crafted to only allow assisted dying in the case of terminal illness, not grave suffering.
The upcoming second reading of the bill on 29th November will see MPs having a free vote on the matter. However, there is uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the vote, with some MPs still undecided due to concerns raised by others about the risks associated with implementing such a change in the health service.
The MPs who support the bill stressed the need to update the laws around assisted dying to reflect the current sentiments of the population. They believe that allowing patients with terminal illnesses to have control over the end of their lives can alleviate mental suffering and provide them with peace of mind, even if they ultimately do not choose to go through with the procedure.
The bill proposed by Kim Leadbeater aims to restrict assisted dying to patients with a terminal illness, ensuring that they have full capacity and make the decision of their own free will after consulting with two doctors. The MPs supporting the bill see assisted dying as an additional component to holistic palliative care, rather than a replacement for it.
Dr. Opher acknowledged that the decision to support assisted dying is a complex and finely balanced one for many medics. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the bill is watertight to prevent any potential mission creep and to safeguard against any coercion of medical professionals into participating in assisted dying decisions.
Overall, the MPs advocating for the bill are calling for a thoughtful and careful consideration of the legislation, highlighting the need to provide dying patients with compassionate choices while maintaining the integrity of medical ethics and patient care.
