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A former Prime Minister, Lord David Cameron, has announced his support for the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally ill adults. In an article in the Times, Lord Cameron revealed that while he had previously opposed such moves, he believes that the current proposal is “not about ending life, it is about shortening death”. He previously voiced fears that vulnerable people may be pressured into hastening their own deaths. However, he now expressed his confidence in the current proposal which, he claims, has sufficient safeguards to prevent such outcomes.
This move makes Lord Cameron the first former Prime Minister to support the bill, after Baroness Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss all encouraged MPs to reject it this week. In contrast, Gordon Brown, a longstanding critic of assisted dying, argued that such moves would alter society’s attitude towards elderly, seriously ill, and disabled people. He expressed his concerns that the caring professions would lose something irreplaceable – their position as exclusively caregivers.
The proposed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, seeks to allow terminally ill individuals expected to die within six months to seek assistance in ending their life. To qualify, two doctors and a High Court judge must verify that the person is eligible and has made the decision voluntarily. Current laws in the UK prohibit people from asking for medical help to die. If passed, the bill would also require those who apply for assisted dying to be at least 18 years old, a resident in England and Wales registered with a GP for at least 12 months, and have the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their life. They would also need to express a “clear, settled, and informed” wish, free from coercion or pressure, throughout the process.
After Lord Cameron’s announcement, the Labour MP stated that she welcomed his support and believed that the bill would now gain further momentum. She argued that the current law is not fit for purpose and suggested that her proposal could prevent very distressing and harrowing deaths. While it remains to be seen whether the bill will pass, the announcement by Lord Cameron indicates that the conversation surrounding assisted dying in the UK is far from over
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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