Law to legalise assisted dying in Britain has enough votes to pass, claims peer

[Jojogu]

The law to legalise assisted dying has the votes to pass, the peer pushing the legislation has claimed, as opposition to the Bill mobilises ahead of its second reading.

Baroness Meacher told The Telegraph that after months of campaigning, she was confident the Assisted Dying Bill had the votes to pass in the House of Lords.

The legislation is due to be debated in the Lords in October, with votes expected to take place next year.

Baroness Meacher said: "I'm quietly confident that it will get through. There is a tremendous amount of support for assisted dying in the Lords."

She added that there had been a "shift in favour" of assisted dying since the previous vote in 2015, meaning there was "every reason" to believe it would pass.

If successful, it would be the first time in history either chamber of Parliament had voted to legalise assisted dying.

It would give terminally ill and mentally competent adults in the final six months of their lives the option to die at a time and place of their choosing, with all requests subject to approval from two independent doctors and a High Court judge.

However, campaigners from Dignity in Dying have said Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, the crossbench peer, and former president of the Royal Society of Medicine is garnering opposition from the medical community.

They posted on social media: "We are aware that Baroness Finlay is gathering signatures for a Care Not Killing/Our Duty of Care letter signed by 1,000 opposed doctors. But many thousands more than that representing 50 per cent of BMA members recently said they support a change in the law on assisted dying."

Previous votes on assisted dying have been considered to be ones of "conscience", meaning MPs were not whipped to support a particular position.

In 2015, the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected the Assisted Dying Bill, with 330 MPs voting against the proposals.

Andrew Mitchell, the Tory MP and chairman of the APPG for Choice at the End of Life, said: "Following the arrival of the 2019 intake at the last general election the numbers in favour of this have advanced significantly."

Boris Johnson wrote at the time of the last debate: "I am sure it is a change the public broadly supports, and one whose time has come," but has voted against one such proposal in the past.

Sir Keir Starmer was vocal in his support for the Bill in 2015, telling a newspaper: "The law needs to be changed."

A survey by YouGov last week showed that 73 per cent of Britons believe assisted dying should be legalised including 74 per cent of Conservative voters.

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www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Sprite_Geist]

"It would give terminally ill and mentally competent adults in the final six months of their lives the option to die at a time and place of their choosing, with all requests subject to approval from two independent doctors and a High Court judge."

This is excellent news - assuming that it passes in the near future. Though it is still upsetting that it will not be available for everyone. At least I think that is what the article seems to say?

 

[FuneralCry]

I am glad there is at least some progress towards the legalisation of euthanasia. Of course we all deserve the option of a peaceful way out, not just terminally ill adults. It isn't as if any of us asked to exist so we have no obligation to stay alive.