Assisted dying is all about choice, giving terminally ill patients the right to end their suffering - Daxa Patel
If the bill does become law, it will be legal for anyone over the age of 18 with a terminally ill diagnosis of six months or less to live to be given assistance to end their life provided: They were a resident of England and Wales and were registered with a GP practice for at least 12 months. They had mental capacity. They would need to do two separate declarations indicating their wish to die, and this would need two independent doctors between a gap of seven days to assess if the patient meets the eligibility criteria. After that a High Court Judge would hear from at least one of the doctors and even the patient before they ruled on whether the patient’s wish for assisted dying could be granted.
Before the bill was drafted those working in palliative care and disability sector were consulted but for understandable reasons there are strong opinions for and against.
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Hide AdThe PM has said that he will give his MPs a free vote meaning each Labour MP will be able to vote in accordance with their conscience. That said, just like the budget was leaked before it was announced, despite warnings by the top Civil Servant, Ministers have been publicly sharing whether they are for or against the change in law.


The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting has said he is against a change in law because he feels this will make people feel obliged so as not become a burden to opt for assisted dying. His other concern is the financial impact on limited NHS resources but he seems to be missing a big point, which is if end-of-life care was empowering maybe, people with a terminal illness would not feel like a burden and may not want to even entertain the idea of ending their lives.
If the Labour party were as bold as they made themselves to be before the election, they could allow a genuine no pressure debate to take place on what is an important piece of legislation that affects us all, instead we have opinions expressed by Ministers to save their departments from extra ‘pressures’.
Kim Leadbeater has said the current law is not fit for its purpose as those who want to take this route currently must travel often alone to a foreign country to end their lives. If there is no change in the law, we will fail to show compassion and allow our people to die abroad because we cannot be bothered to honour them.
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Hide AdThere are legitimate concerns about safeguarding and checks so that there is no misuse but what we in the UK cannot ignore is that there are other countries where assisted dying is legal. Countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg to name a few have made this possible. People with a terminal illness where their life becomes unbearable must be given a choice. There will be those who wish to live and those who wish to die with assistance, so let us accommodate both camps rather than totally disregard one group.
Death ought to be a sacred time and in an ideal caring world we would want people to live a long, natural, and healthy life. Doctors are put in a dilemma and modern medicine allows for life to be prolonged at the expense of quality, then there is a duty of care, but this does not match with the government decision to increase national insurance contributions by employers.
The care home and hospice care providers will have to pay higher national insurance, inevitably cuts will need to be made to adjust for this hike, this could mean less staff to do the work that makes such a difference to the person in need. With fewer staff there will be more substandard care and more neglect. How does this sit well with the argument being made by those against the bill that it is humane to allow people to suffer when the government fails to see the bigger picture.
I favour a change in the law where people are allowed a choice. In a society where we have seemingly so much choice if we deprive a person of the right to end their suffering provided the criteria is met, how can we say to them that they do not have a right to be empowered to have an assisted death?
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Hide AdPersonally, for me, if I was terminally ill and told I had less than six months to live, then given that I do not have a next of kin, a choice would enable me to put my affairs in order and die happily knowing that I would be legally assisted to end my life at a time of my choosing, in my own home and in my own bed.
I would welcome the option of dying in this country with my dog by my side rather than going to Dignitas where I could not have him accompany me when I would need his presence the most. If we see the change of law on a micro level and put ourselves in the frame, we will see it as a step in the right direction. With time we must evolve and adapt.
Daxa Manhar Patel is a leadership coach, author and solicitor.
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