Today the campaign for choice at the end of life took a leap forward. Assisted dying in the UK is now a matter of 'when' not 'if.' We couldn't have reached this point without your support, so thank you to all the individuals, families, healthcare professionals and legislators who submitted evidence. Since December 2022, the Health and Social Care Select Committee has been running the first ever House of Commons inquiry into assisted dying. Today, they published their report.
A cross-party committee of MPs has heard months of evidence, data and personal testimony outlining the many serious harms caused by the UK's blanket ban on assisted dying. It found evidence that the current law is unsafe and inadequate, with the Health and Social Care Select Committee calling on the Government to engage in the debate as reform becomes "increasingly likely" across the British Isles.
The evidence is clear: the current law is not working. Maintaining the status quo in the face of so much obvious, devastating harm - while assisted dying laws continue to work safely overseas - is the most dangerous decision that Westminster could take.
A cross-party committee of MPs has heard months of evidence, data and personal testimony outlining the many serious harms caused by the UK's blanket ban on assisted dying. It found evidence that the current law is unsafe and inadequate, with the Health and Social Care Select Committee calling on the Government to engage in the debate as reform becomes "increasingly likely" across the British Isles.
The evidence is clear: the current law is not working. Maintaining the status quo in the face of so much obvious, devastating harm - while assisted dying laws continue to work safely overseas - is the most dangerous decision that Westminster could take.
The political appetite for a full and fair debate on assisted dying is growing by the day. Jody, if you haven't already, please sign our government petition calling for a free vote on assisted dying.
"Having the option of an assisted death would bring me so much peace of mind: knowing that I would have that choice to end my pain, whether I'd take that option or not." - David Minns who gave evidence to the inquiry. He had multiple myeloma, and died in 2023 just weeks after submitting his evidence.
Personal testimony of the impact of the current law included heart-rending accounts of terminally ill people who ended their lives in lonely and often violent ways, while others had to endure arduous and costly journeys to access legal assisted dying services in Switzerland. Every terminally ill person involved in the committee's roundtable sessions said that the law has to change.
Evidence revealed palliative care cannot relieve all suffering and the legalisation of assisted dying was linked to improvements in end-of-life care overseas. It also found there to be no 'slippery slope': assisted dying laws for terminally ill people did not expand beyond their original criteria.
Throughout the inquiry, frontline experts from countries where assisted dying is legal – including Australia and the US - provided substantial evidence showing these laws are effective and popular, benefiting from robust safeguards that protect dying people.
The committee called on the government to engage in the assisted dying debate.
But we need to keep the pressure on MPs to change the law. If you've already signed the petition, will you share it with your family and friends?
This report shifts the prospect of an assisted dying law for the UK from a hypothetical to a reality. Both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition accept this is a conversation we must have and have pledged to set aside time for it to be fully and fairly debated in the next Parliament.
Assisted dying will be a key issue for candidates going into the General Election, and voters should watch closely for which candidates back change and which are defending a dangerous and unpopular law. The next generation of MPs must listen to the public mood and finally break the deadlock on assisted dying.
