Tory party members demand Government action on assisted dying
New polling from YouGov out today reveals that 70% of Conservative Party members support a government inquiry on assisted dying before the end of this Parliament; 73% believe the government should allocate time for a debate on a private member’s bill on assisted dying before the end of this Parliament; and 77% want to see a manifesto promise from the Conservative Party to allow MPs a free vote on any assisted dying bill that is tabled in the next Parliament.
This comes after MPs debated assisted dying last month for the first time in more than two years, with those supportive of reform outnumbering opponents by two to one, MPs of all parties expressing strong support for an inquiry on the issue, and the Government indicating it could help facilitate future debate.
Putting the proposals to respondents, assisted dying was defined as allowing a terminally ill, mentally competent adult in their final months of life the option to request life-ending medication to take themselves, provided only if two doctors were satisfied they met all of the safeguards and a High Court judge was satisfied that they had made a voluntary, clear and settled decision to end their life.
This is the model of law change advocated by Dignity in Dying, based on legislation currently or soon to be operating in 11 jurisdictions in the US, all Australian states and across New Zealand. Separate polling from Populus (now Yonder) in 2019 found that a change in the law to enable this option for terminally ill people in the UK is supported by 84% of the British public, with majority backing across all ages, areas of the country, socioeconomic status and political views.
In the Westminster Hall debate on 4 July, secured after 155,000 members of the public signed a parliamentary petition lodged by Dignity in Dying CEO Sarah Wootton, the Minister responding (James Cartlidge, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice) welcomed an inquiry on assisted dying and said the Government would do its best to assist if one were to be set up. He also indicated that the Government would engage with a Private Member’s Bill on assisted dying if it was Parliament’s clear will that the law should change. His response suggested that the Government could grant time to a future bill to ensure it could be fully scrutinised and debated.
Meanwhile, assisted dying proposals are progressing in the Scottish, Jersey and Isle of Man parliaments, with votes on all three expected next year.
David Minns, 74, a Conservative voter from Mildenhall, West Suffolk, is terminally ill with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, and a rare associated illness called amyloidosis. He said:
“It has now been a year since my daughter Katie died an excruciating death from sarcoma at the age of just 46. The impact of her death was the catalyst that spurred me into campaigning for assisted dying to be brought into law as a choice for the terminally ill, knowing all the while that I would not likely benefit from any change.
“I cared for Katie knowing that I may soon meet the same agonising end, despite the heroic efforts of the NHS and hospice care. Why are the terminally ill put in this situation? Why can’t we, in this day and age, be given the option of an assisted death – a calm dignified exit, with our loved ones around us and medical support?
“Public support is in our favour; MPs increasingly so as well. I call on the next Prime Minister to listen to people like me, and to ensure that an assisted dying bill that offers dying people choice can be properly considered by Parliament. We have the opportunity to change the law, and we cannot afford to lose it.”
You can read David’s story in full in his blog: I call on the next Prime Minister to listen to people like me
Former Health Secretary the Rt Hon Matt Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, who has met with his constituent David, said:
“This striking new data shows that both Conservative party members and the wider public want to see an informed debate and a formal inquiry on assisted dying in the UK.
“For 50 years, we have had a legal choice over who to love. For a decade, we have had a legal choice over who we can marry. Now is the time for a Parliamentary inquiry into this critical life choice: whether to allow safe, compassionate assisted dying for terminally ill adults in pain.”
Last year while Health Secretary, Matt Hancock commissioned research from the ONS, published this April, which indicated that people with serious and potentially terminal health conditions may be more than twice as likely to take their own lives as people without. Last October Dignity in Dying revealed that latest estimates suggest up to 650 terminally ill people are taking their own lives every year, with up to 10 times as many attempts. This is in addition to the 50 Brits a year on average who travel to Switzerland for an assisted death, and the thousands who suffer against their wishes as they die at home.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:
“This polling speaks for itself – Conservative party members are demanding urgent government action on assisted dying. They understand that it is no longer an option to do nothing or to kick this issue into the long grass. They want action now, before the next General Election, and they want their new party leader to ensure we can have a full, fair and free debate on assisted dying that is evidence-based, given the time it deserves, and respects MPs’ individual views.
“Meanwhile, the blanket ban on assisted dying is wreaking havoc on British families like the Minns’. Thousands of terminally ill people die in pain and suffering every year despite the best efforts of palliative care, with only a fortunate few with £10,000 able to access an assisted death overseas. Without a safe, legal option to die on their own terms at home, hundreds of terminally ill people every year are taking matters into their own hands using whatever means are at their disposal, forced to die alone or beg for compassionate but illegal help from loved ones.
“Steps are being taken across the British Isles towards safer, more compassionate laws on assisted dying, and poll after poll has confirmed that choice at the end of life is issue that unites the public at large. As the Tory leadership contest heats up, party members are saying loud and clear that it’s time for the next Prime Minister to grasp the nettle on assisted dying.”
*ENDS*
Notes
You can read David’s story in full in his blog: I call on the next Prime Minister to listen to people like me
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 836 Conservative Party members. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th – 19th July 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all members of the British Conservative & Unionist Party(aged 18+). The survey results have been published in full by You Gov.
For further information and interviews with parliamentarians, Dignity and Dying spokespeople and case studies please contact Molly Pike, Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying on 07929 731181 or email: molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk