House of Commons
Assisted Dying AGAIN!
Yep, it’s not going away!! The United Kingdom is yet again up to its neck in controversy and debate about life and death.
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It’s eighteen years since my own book on assisted dying was published, and precious little has changed. 
Hospices are still seriously underfunded and understaffed. Palliative care is still a postcode lottery. There is still no consensus within the UK. Doctors are still challenged by the prospect of extending their role to include assisting death. The public are still divided. Emotions still run high. Patients are still dying in circumstances not of their choosing.
Not that the subject has been swept under the carpet. No. Indeed, the Isle of Man and Jersey have now passed legislation to legalise assisted dying. Scotland has tried three times now to do so, but the Bill was rejected again at its final stage on the evening of 16 March – two days ago – albeit by a very narrow margin.
Parliamentarians for England and Wales have strenuously debated their version of the Bill and last summer the Commons passed it. However, since then it’s got stuck in the House of Lords. With hundreds of amendments still to be dealt with, it looks highly likely to run out of time before the end of this session of Parliament, in which case it will need to go back to the Commons to begin again, but perhaps with provision made this time to stop the Lords repeating their blocking of it.
OK, it’s highly emotive and divisive stuff. And life is sacred and precious. There will always be detractors and critics and fierce opponents. There will probably also always be mistakes made. It behoves those who have agreed to allow the practice to tread warlily and monitor progress from the outset. And it behoves those who have not taken the decision as yet to listen, watch and learn.
One of the most heartening aspects of this whole issue is the big message coming across is: all parties need to up their game to ensure better palliative care is available. And I’ve been encouraged too by the sensitivity and respect and graciousness both sides demonstrate when these particular Bills are under discussion. Would that parliamentarians could bring the same gravitas and courtesy to other agenda items!