Vicky Foxcroft Labour MP for Lewisham North
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about the upcoming free vote on the legalisation of assisted dying.
This is a complex and emotive issue and I know there are strongly held ethical and moral views on both sides of the debate. Successive governments have taken the view that Parliament should decide on this issue and any change to the law would be a matter of conscience for individual MPs. I agree with this approach.
I feel strongly that this is not the right time to have this vote, and so as a result I will be voting against this Bill.
Many are understandably concerned by any changes to the law on assisted dying for a variety of reasons.
Implementing the necessary safeguards to protect vulnerable people while still offering the legal right to end one’s life is legally and ethically complex, and there are concerns that some could be taken advantage of or have pressure placed on them to end their lives by bad-faith actors while they are not in a state of mind to decide for themselves. This has occurred in other nations where assisted dying has been legalised, such as Canada.
I agree with the statement from the Secretary of State for Health, which highlights that palliative care system is not in the state it needs to be in to support assisted dying. Assisted dying should not be an alternative to high-quality palliative and end of life care. People deserve dignity in dying, and each person nearing the end of their life should feel reassured and safe in the knowledge they will receive the very best care.
Any debate on this issue must also include voices and views from the disabled community, as this is an issue which impacts disabled people considerably. I spoke to many disabled people in my time as Shadow Minister for Disabled People who outlined very real fears on what legalising assisted dying might mean for them. These conversations have had a profound and moving affect on me and have reinforced my view that any consideration of assisted dying must come at a time when our public services are more resilient so that no individual sees assisted dying as their only option.
Thank you once again to all those, both in favour and against, who have contacted me about this important issue.