Terminally ill people should not be forced to “work out escape plans”, Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox has told MPs. It came as the largest ever poll on assisted dying suggested that voters in every constituency in Great Britain would support law change.
An overwhelming 75 percent of 10,000 people surveyed said they would support a change in the law for terminally people nearing the end of their lives. Just 14 percent opposed it.
The landmark findings were released as Rebecca, 44, took her mother’s fight to the heart of Parliament at an event hosted by Dignity in Dying.
In a powerful speech, she told a gathering of MPs, peers and campaigners in the House of Commons: “If my mum wants to choose a good death in a place like Dignitas, she has to pay thousands of pounds for it.
READ MORE: Legalising assisted dying would be safer, say majority of Brits in landmark poll
Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox has told
“She has to die before her health would necessitate. She has to die alone, or risk her loved ones facing prosecution.
“What sort of end is that for anyone? And yet it is preferable to the long, drawn out, painful death that might be her only other option if she stays at home.”
Calling for an end to bad deaths she described as “a torture that I cannot believe is legal”, Rebecca added: “We are in an intolerable situation made worse by the confusion in the rules and the lack of empathy in our law makers.
“We don’t wish to impose this on anyone, but we want everyone to have the choice and we will need a proper parliamentary debate with a free vote to achieve this.”
The TV presenter also delivered a short message from her mother, who could not be present due to her diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Dame Esther said: “The law at the moment in this country is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people.
“I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonising deaths of those they loved. Please make time to debate this life and death issue.”
The Childline founder and her family have been deeply moved by the staggering response to her latest campaign. A petition started by the Daily Express, with Dame Esther’s support, has now passed 150,00 signatures.
Rebecca the Daily Express her mother was living “scan to scan”. She added: “She would do anything to be here today. Unfortunately, the reason she’s not here today is the reason that I am here today.
“It’s so important and I wish she could be here because people are saying such nice things about her.”
Dame Esther has joined the fight for assisted dying at a crucial time “when the dial was going to move”, Rebecca said. She added: “Whatever she can do, whatever I can do in her stead, to make this impactful.
“This is a room of powerful voices, of stories that should be told and shouldn’t have to be told. The people that I have met in this room have floored me, it’s extraordinary.
“The loved ones that have taken their own lives, taken themselves off to a shed and committed suicide or hung themselves in a garage. It’s just not okay, it’s not viable.”
Dignity in Dying chief executive Sarah Wootton said the poll results were clear evidence that assisted dying reform is on the electorate’s agenda.
She added: “In every constituency in England and Wales, there is an unshakeable majority of support for a compassionate assisted dying law, with tight safeguards that would benefit and protect dying people and improve end-of-life care as a whole.
“Political manifestos should reflect the electorate’s wish for assisted dying to be the next great social reform and pledge a free vote and parliamentary time for this debate.”
More than 10,000 questioned about views on assisted dying
Opinium Research was commissioned by Dignity in Dying to survey members of the public across England, Wales and Scotland.
Its findings were modelled for every constituency in Great Britain using the same method that has accurately predicted the results of several recent elections. It found there would be clear support across the board for law change on assisted dying.
In more than half of the 632 constituencies, public support for assisted dying was at least 77 percent, with the highest levels in Brighton Pavilion (85 percent), Bath (83 percent) and York Central (83 percent).
Support was consistently high across those who planned to vote Conservative (78 percent), Labour (77 percent), Liberal Democrat (77 percent), SNP (83 percent), Plaid Cymru (84 percent), Green (79 percent) and Reform (78 percent).
And there was a strong majority among religious people, with two-thirds (66 percent) of those who follow a religion stating their support, including 69 percent of Christians and 65 percent of Catholics.
More than six in 10 people (63 percent) agreed that legalising assisted dying would be safer than the current ban, with just one in 10 (11 percent) believing it would be less safe.
More than half of Brits (52 percent) said they would personally consider travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death if they were terminally ill.
But less than three in 10 (28 percent) would be able to afford it, with costs skyrocketing to £15,000 in the last five years. Some 10,897 adults responded the the online survey.
