Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has claimed that current laws surrounding assisted dying in England and Wales are "not fit for purpose" as she published the details of a new bill on Monday aiming to legalize the process.Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Kim Leadbeater has claimed that current laws surrounding assisted dying in England and Wales are "not fit for purpose" as she published the details of a new bill on Monday aiming to legalize the process.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill seeks to allow terminally ill adults with an expected maximum of six months left to live in England and Wales to be assisted in ending their life if made voluntarily and with the consent of two doctors and a High Court judge.
WhilstWhile concerns over a highly personal and controversial topic are to always be respected, now is the time to move away from the archaic status quo. The legislation, whilstwhile liberating, will be one of the strictest assisted dying legislations in the world with harsh crackdowns against those who misuse the system. Now is the time for MPs to pick the side of compassion and finally give terminally ill individuals the autonomy over their lives that they deserve.
Leadbetter's bill is flawed and cannot be allowed to pass. On close inspection, theit bill allows those seeking to end their life to repeatedly seek alternative doctors' opinions until they get the answer they want, while the promise of strong punishments against those who coerce death uponis, others are in reality, difficult, if not impossible, to prove. With an NHS already on the brink and the bill likely only to be the start of a slippery slope, it would not be in good conscience for this proposal to become law.