A cross-party group of MPs in England has said that end-of-life care in countries that have allowed assisted dying hasn’t worsened, and that there is even evidence that it has led to better support, with more money being invested. However, they did not make a conclusive ruling on whether to change the law in England, stating that they only wanted to inform the debate. The review, which was conducted by the Health and Social Care Select Committee, analyzed places including parts of the US, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand where assisted dying is legal.
Campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has called for a free vote for MPs in parliament, saying that everyone should have a choice about the way they want to end their lives. The committee’s report noted that English hospices need more money since access to care is patchy, with hospices only getting one-third of their funding from the NHS despite providing the majority of palliative care.
Sophie Blake, who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2020 and supports the right to end life, says that many terminal patients would benefit from knowing they have a choice. She believes it would give “final control at the end to have a good death rather than a death of suffering.” The committee also highlighted confusion and problems with the current system, stating that it was not clear whether doctors could provide medical evidence for patients who wanted to die abroad.
Despite fears expressed by some that legalizing assisted dying would impact the support at the end of life negatively, the report states that it actually led to improvement in countries that have allowed it, with evidence showing that it resulted in increased investment in palliative care.
The government has indicated that it would allow a free vote on the issue, although any change will be up to Parliament. While the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nursing have neutral positions on assisted dying, anti-assisted dying campaign group Care Not Killing is against it, stating that there are many problems with changing the law and that limitations on who qualifies could eventually be lifted to include people with disabilities, non-terminal health issues, dementia and depression
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