Whatever your view on assisted dying, it is a subject of great importance and should be discussed seriously and openly in Parliament.
This afternoon’s debate heard many MPs speak, both for and against, but united by wanting to do the best for people at the end of their lives.
I spoke about the many people who I believe support assisted dying because of a lack of confidence in the quality and availability of end-of-life care.
This is despite the fantastic work of the hospice movement, end of life community nurses and care staff.
The nub of the issue is that this high standard of end-of-life care is not available where and when it is needed!
I called on the Government to ensure that the very best palliative care is available for everyone at the end of their life.
If we introduce assisted dying, it is to accept that we have failed to provide the very best end-of-life care including pain control which would alleviate the suffering of most as they live their final days.
You can read my speech here.
