Sarah Jones MP Standing Up For Croydon
Today I voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Bill would change the law to allow people who are over 18, who have capacity to make a decision, and who are expected to die within six months to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life. There are a series of protections – including assessment by two doctors and the agreement of the High Court. For more details please go to https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research…/cbp-10123/
The Bill is not yet law. It has passed its second reading and will scrutinised over a period of months by the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It will only become law if MPs vote for it again at Third Reading. I have concerns around some aspects of the Bill that I would like to see changed. So whilst I voted to continue to debate this legislation, I have not yet made up my mind whether I will support it further down the line.
I want to thank all those constituents who contacted me. In particular I want to thank those who wrote personal and sometimes painful letters about their experiences and beliefs. I held a meeting on Monday of people in Croydon West who were opposed to the Bill. I held another meeting on Tuesday with those who were in favour. Everyone spoke with conviction and compassion and I listened very carefully to all the points that were made.
First and foremost, everyone is agreed that palliative care is not good enough in this country. I agree that we must act to improve it. I also agree that this legislation has sparked a debate about end of life care, and shone a light on the postcode lottery that we see across our country. That debate must be a good thing and I hope it will continue as we look at this legislation.
Secondly, whilst I respect those who have a moral objection to this legislation, I do not share that moral objection. The State intervenes in death when, for example, making decisions about switching off life support for terminally ill children. It is a fact however that passing this legislation does cross a new and significant line in the law and we need to proceed with caution to ensure there are protections and safeguards in place.
I was with my father when he died of mesothelioma (a nasty form of lung cancer caused by inhaling asbestos). I was with my granddad when he died and with my nanna when she died. I have seen the suffering of those people I love first hand. I cannot imagine anyone trying to coerce people into ending their lives. But we know that coercion happens, that it can be hidden and that it can be evil. But coercion happens when it is hidden away, and I believe, with amendments, we can create a system that shines a light on and protects against coercion. Diane Abbott spoke against the Bill and made a particularly compelling case around coercion which you can watch here. There are some changes we need to make to the Bill on safeguarding against coercion before I could vote for it at Third Reading.
There was a lot of debate about whether this legislation is a slippery slope and will end up being amended to include more people with different conditions. I wasn’t in the end persuaded by this view. There has also been debate about whether the Bill will devalue some lives over others. I have listened so carefully to the views of disabled organisations and I can understand completely this view. Whilst the Bill very clearly only covers people who have a terminal condition with six months to live.
Many people also highlighted a risk that terminally ill people will worry about being a burden to their family or to the NHS, and potentially want to end their lives to, for example, ensure their savings aren’t spent on their care. I understand this fear, but again believe with the right safeguards these can be overcome.
There were many powerful speeches in Parliament today. One of the most powerful was Kit Malthouse – the Conservative MP for North West Hampshire. He and I have disagreed on many things over the years, but I think his speech spoke to the heart of the issue, and you can watch it here.