Thank you for your email. As you may know I attended the Debate in November to listen to the arguments on both sides, before confirming my final decision to vote against the Bill at Second Reading.
The debate was well attended and, in many cases, brilliantly argued, on both sides. No one wants to see people suffer agony at the end of their life but neither do they want to see anyone put to death erroneously or unjustly. It is a truly heart-breaking dilemma.
The decision whether to vote for or against this Bill is one of the most important and difficult decisions that I have had to make and one that I thought long and hard about.
Over the last few months, I have received hundreds of emails from constituents, many with the most heart-breaking accounts of the deaths or illnesses of their loved ones. My heart goes out to everyone who has ever been in that situation either as witness or sufferer.
However, I think the risks of legislating to allow assisted suicide are too great. I fear that people who are ill and low, may have times when they see no purpose or value in their life, do not want to be a burden to others, and conclude that they should seek help to end their lives. I do not want anyone to feel that they must justify staying alive, to explain, even to themselves, why they should be allowed to go on.
I fear that legislation, such as this, will legitimise suicide and undermine the value that society places on human life.
I believe that our focus should be on improving palliative care services. By enhancing support for those with terminal illnesses, we can provide compassionate care that alleviates suffering for as many as possible without resorting to assisted dying.
Since November, there have been more than 300 amendments laid by members of the committee to the Bill which sought to provide additional safeguards, such as legally excluding those with eating disorders and Down syndrome. It is extremely disappointing that these were voted down with little justification from the Bill’s supporters.
Further amendments were debated when the Bill returned for Report Stage on Friday 16 May, and before the vote on Friday 13 June.
I still felt that the safeguards were not in place to support this Bill. You may also wish to hear my further thoughts on this and, if so, there is a link below to a video I did before the vote:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EP8tSxi3t/
It really was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly. I hope that you will understand my reasonings, even if you do not agree.
