Written by We’re all now aware that the House of Commons has agreed to give the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The committee to review the Bill, line by line, will probably be set up this week. Although this is a Private Members Bill it will be given much more scrutiny than is usual because it has exceptional importance for the electorate – you and me! – and for the health service, the courts, the medical profession, and the hospice movement. The committee stage of the Bill seems likely to continue until March, when MPs will again have an opportunity to vote on it. There will no doubt be lots of amendments to be considered, not least once the government has thought through the implications of the Bill, especially for disabled people, the poor, marginalised and frail elderly.
Many MPs are still considering the implications of the Bill, many having said they voted for it with reservations. So it is worth contacting your MP now to comment on the vote, and offer your thoughts on questions to be addressed as the Bill goes forward. One key issue is the limited provision of hospice care in England. Many hospices are limiting services because they do not have sufficient funding to meet the needs in their communities. Rachel Maskell MP has drawn up ideas for a commission on end-of-life care, to ensure that is assisted suicide does become law there will be a genuine alternative for those who want to live – until they die – with good care and comfort.
Now is the time to urge our representatives to turn their attention to how we offer the dying a good death without pressure to end their lives prematurely.
Patricia Stoat
