Britain could be set to vote on assisted suicide proposals before Christmas, just months after the Labour government came to power – with Sir Keir Starmer promising to “make time for this vote.”
Reports indicate that new Prime Minister, Starmer, has pledged to push for a vote on “assisted dying” – encompassing both assisted suicide and euthanasia – nine years after it was last voted on, and defeated, in 2015. The Labour leader is seeking to fast-track the law, according to multiple reports.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Sir Keir wants to devote time for consideration of a Bill which would allow “assisted dying” after the autumn political party conferences come to an end. According to the paper, the vote could be held just before Christmas. If passed, commentators believe it would potentially have a similar impact on society as the passage of the 1967 Abortion Act.
“The Prime Minister is privately paving the way for a vote before Christmas – much sooner than expected – which could usher in one of the greatest social changes in the UK since the Abortion Act 1967,” the Mail reports, adding:
“A law to allow terminally-ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives with medical help would spark an intense moral debate over the sanctity of human life and the risks of the legislation being abused. Sir Keir’s own Justice Secretary has warned that it could prove to be a mandate for ‘granny killers’.”
It comes after prominent assisted suicide campaigner, Dame Esther Rantzen, last weekend issued a direct appeal to the British PM to allow a vote – with Labour sources suggesting that “the wheels are turning” to arrange this as soon as MPs return from the autumn party conferences.
Sir Keir reportedly told the founder of the charity Childline, Dame Esther: “I think we need to make time,” Sir Keir said. “We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now…we will make time for this vote.”
He has also spoken openly about the end-of-life struggles experienced by his own mother, who was disabled. The British tabloid further reports that Sir Keir has “decided to accelerate the process” after his Party dominated the results of the annual Private Members’ Bill ballot which allows MPs to put forward their own legislation.
Labour backbencher Jake Richards, who came 11th in the ballot, has offered to put forward a Bill legislating for assisted suicide. However, the MP for Rother Valley is too low on the list to guarantee securing a debate on the matter, with Labour MPs higher up being urged to take up the proposal.
It comes after one Labour MP on the list said he had been offered two extra staff members to assist him with drafting a bill if he proposes legalising “assisted dying.”
The issue was last debated back in 2015 in the House of Commons, and proposals to legislate were defeated by 330 votes to 118. However, due to the influx of new Labour MPs, who are anticipated to support it, and with the PM’s support, such a law is expected to receive a greater level of support this time around.
Yet support is not unanimous, with Starmer’s Cabinet divided on the issue. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has spoken of her opposition to changing the law, stating: “I don’t intend to support it… I know some MPs who support this issue think, ‘For God’s sake, we’re not a nation of granny killers, what’s wrong with you’… [But] once you cross that line, you’ve crossed it forever. If it becomes the norm that at a certain age or with certain diseases, you are now a bit of a burden… that’s a really dangerous position.”
British Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has also spoken of his “conflicted” position on assisted suicide and euthanasia, whilst warning that the “right protections” would be needed to ensure people do not “take their own life thinking they were a burden on others,” while also citing shortcomings in end-of life-care.
Streeting previously said he was “deeply uncomfortable” about the practical aspects involved with a change in the law, saying previously: “Candidly, when I think about this question of being a burden, I do not think that palliative care, end-of-life care in this country, is in a condition yet where we are giving people the freedom to choose, without being coerced by the lack of support available.”
At present, assisting a suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in jail, however prosecutions and jail sentences are extremely rare. Activists have repeatedly tried to change the law through both Parliament and in the courts.
Similar Bills to make assisting suicide legal will soon also be considered in Scotland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Meanwhile, the Dail is set to vote on an Oireahctas report on legalising Assisted Suicide in Ireland on 17th October– A vote of approval would mean that the recommendations of the Report are adopted as the basis for legislative and policy change in this area.