UK Citizens Call for Parliament Review of Assisted Dying Law

Lawmakers in the U.K. may legalise assisted dying, potentially within four years, according to the leading MP.

There is increasing support for assisted dying for the terminally ill, according to Andrew Mitchell, even though Parliament has voted against it in previous years, SkyNews reported.

Many U.K. residents are asking for the right for the terminally ill to end their lives if they choose to.

An open letter from U.K. citizens in favour of assisted dying has been sent to Parliament to reopen the assisted dying issue five years after the bill was rejected in a Parliament vote.

For the terminally ill who are coming to the end of their lives, the proposed law could be embraced with gratitude. The controversial topic has always been voted against in Parliament but that could change soon. 

The minds of Parliament lawmakers are changing, according to Andrew Mitchell who has said his mind has also been changed. 

Relatives of terminally ill patients have launched legal cases to legalise assisted dying.

Now, they have rallied together in a joint appeal to investigate and possibly change the law on assisted dying in England and Wales, The Guardian reported. An overwhelming majority may vote in favour of the change. 

Mitchell reported there is new support for the assisted dying law and a u-turn could be made to give terminally ill patients the right to end their lives. 

Those who oppose assisted dying believe the law would grow to include people with mental illness to end their lives, according to Metro.

Assisted dying has been legal in the Netherlands and Belgium since 2002, SkyNews reported. The assisted dying law has allowed more people to end their lives even without being terminally ill. 

Mitchell says he has made it clear that if the assisted dying law passes in the U.K., it would be selective and would only allow assisted dying in a limited amount of situations.

“We need to make clear that we are not looking here for a massive change,” Mitchell told Sky News. “We are looking for very, very tight reform.” 

A poll from 2019 showed that over 90% of people in the U.K. are in favour of assisted dying, according to The Guardian. Eighty-eight percent of people polled thought patients with dementia should be able to have an assisted death if they consented to it while they still have the mental capacity to do so.

England and Wales currently follow the 1961 Suicide Act, which states it is illegal to assist death for anyone, The Guardian reported. Assisted dying is punishable by a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Changes in Parliament may overturn this, but it could take years. 

Some U.K. residents with chronic debilitating diseases have strong opinions about the right to assisted dying.

Dave Finlay, age 70, has struggled with motor neurone disease for seven years, according to the Daily Mail. 

There is no cure for motor neurone disease, and basic human functions like breathing and swallowing become difficult. 

Finlay is preparing to end his life peacefully at a Switzerland clinic called Dignitas when his symptoms worsen. The cost of the procedure is £10,000.

“Why should I have to suffer?” Findlay asked the Daily Mail. “People are dying terrible deaths. … Nobody wants to die, but I’ve accepted that if I don’t do it, it could end up being too late and I’ll end up as a vegetable, so when I start to feel like the condition is getting worse, I’ll go.”

Do you agree with assisted dying? Do you think it should become legal in the U.K.? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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