Contact your MP

Many MPs’ minds have changed after hearing personal stories from supporters of assisted dying, in particular from those who have witnessed suffering under the current law.

MPs receive lots of correspondence from constituents, so it’s important that you make your email personal. They are more likely to give a considered, open and thoughtful response to a personalised, passionate email. So we encourage you to write in your own words about what the choice of assisted dying would mean to you.

Tips and ideas

You may find the following points useful to include in your email. Remember, you don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need to cover all these points, just choose the ones that feel right for you:

• Your personal views on assisted dying and why law change matters to you. If you have any personal experience of witnessing suffering under the current law, an assisted death overseas, or you would like the choice of an assisted death yourself, do share this with your MP, if you feel able to.
• Our position – be clear that Dignity in Dying is calling for an assisted dying law for terminally ill, mentally competent adults who are in their final months of life.
• Banning assisted dying is unjust, unfair and unregulated, as detailed in Dignity in Dying’s latest report, Time for Choice. Doing nothing is simply not an option.
  • Unjust: Up to 650 terminally ill people a year take their own lives each year in this country, with many more attempts
  • Unfair: 17 people a day will suffer as they die in the UK, even with the very best end of life care.
  • Unregulated: At least 632 Brits have had assisted deaths in Switzerland, which is around 1 person per week. The cost of an assisted death abroad has increased by 50% to £15,000 on average, which is out of reach of many
• Around 300 million people around the world have legal access to assisted dying, ensuring dying people do not suffer against their wishes. These laws have functioned safely and effectively for decades. No law has ever been repealed.
• Public support for assisted dying is consistently high from all demographics of society, across all regions and voting intentions.
• Ask your MP about their views on assisted dying. Do they support a change in the law? Has their view changed recently? What would it take for them to support an assisted dying bill?

Remember to always be polite when contacting your MP – your email could be the start of an important conversation and opportunity to build a relationship with your MP. Don’t forget to include your name and address in your email, as they will only reply to people in their constituency. And please do let us know how you get on.

Find your MP’s email address

You can easily find your MP’s email address with a quick search for your postcard on Parliament’s website.

When you see your MP’s name, click on it and you will find their email address listed with the contacts details for their Parliamentary office.