Proposals to give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to choose to end their life are to be introduced in Parliament this month.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is putting forward the bill and said “now is the time” to hold a fresh debate on assisted dying, after MPs rejected a bill on the issue in 2015.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously promised to give his own MPs a free vote, meaning they will not have to stick to party lines.
However, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former paralympian who is a crossbencher in the House of Lords, said she was against the proposed change.Leadbeater said her proposals would give eligible adults nearing the end of their lives the right to choose to shorten their deaths if they wish.
The details have not been finalised but the bill is likely to be similar to a proposal in the House of Lords, which would allow terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live to get medical help to end their own lives.
The bill is expected to be formally introduced on 16 October, with the first full debate likely to take place later this year. It would have to be approved by MPs and peers before it becomes law.
The UK’s current law is “cruel”, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said when asked by BBC Breakfast on Friday if he was in favour of legalising assisted dying. Miliband told the programme: “I will be voting for the assisted dying bill.”
“My perspective is, there are people approaching end of life, terminally ill people, they have no control at the moment over their lives and their death.”
“I think with proper safeguards that is the right thing to do. I understand (there are) people with legitimate views on the other side, but the current situation is cruel.”
The subject has gained attention in recent months, after broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen revealed she had lung cancer and had joined Dignitas, the assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.
Source: BBC
In other news – Prince William can’t wait to be in South Africa
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