Silver Voices is calling on all MPs not to duck this rare opportunity to agree legislation to enshrine the right of a terminally ill patient to choose the exact place and time of their death.
Who wants to pass away comatose on a hospital bed, undignified with multiple tubes everywhere, and unable to say goodbye to close family and friends?
Who wants to spend their last few weeks in pain, gradually losing control of their functions and increasingly unable to communicate?
Who wants loving partners to be criminalised because they are trying to carry out their loved one’s last wishes?
A ‘good death’ is what we all hope for, and is so important for family memories too.
Older people are the most likely to face these dilemmas and yet there has been no organisation bold enough to find out what senior citizens think about this topic.
We have tested our membership in a big anonymous poll about whether they support the precise Bill being voted on and a significant majority has voiced its support.
But we do recognise that a sizeable minority of our members has worries about the Bill, particularly whether the safeguards will prevent a slippery slope from a choice for assisted dying to an expected duty on older people to do so.
Also, there is great concern, even amongst the Bill’s supporters, that the poor state of palliative and social care in the UK will force people to choose the assisted dying option when they shouldn’t have to do so.
Questions have also been raised on practicalities such as whether insurance policies could be invalidated.
If, as I hope, the Bill passes its Second Reading this week, it will be incumbent on the Government to ensure there is as much time as possible to debate the complications and worries of opponents and to agree sensible amendments to strengthen safeguards.
Squeezing scrutiny time on such consequential legislation would indicate that the Government is not serious about supporting the principle of assisted dying.
If the Bill does not get through its Second Reading or is scuppered by a lack of parliamentary time, we may have to wait many more years for the issue to be considered again.
