Assisted dying bill opposed by Rochdale and Heywood & Middleton North MPs

Both local MPs voted against a bill on assisted dying in the House of Commons on Friday (29 November) - the first time the issue of ‘choice at the end of life’ has come before the Commons in nearly a decade.

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh, and Heywood and Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell both voted against the bill, though the majority of MPs around the country voted for it, meaning that the bill has been passed to the ‘committee stage’.

From here, it will be further debated and refined on a cross-party basis with more votes before any laws are passed.

Under the potential new legislation, a High Court judge would have to rule each time a person makes a request to end their life. A patient would then have to wait 14 days before acting.

It would be against the law to coerce someone into asserting they want to end their life, with a possible 14-year prison sentence.

The bill, called ‘Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading’ applies to those who are over 18 years old, have mental capacity, and have six months left to live, with the consent of two medical professionals.

The government is impartial on the issue and so MPs voted according to their conscience in a ‘free vote’ and not along party lines.

MPs in Greater Manchester have received thousands of representations from constituents with differing views on the proposed legislation ahead of the vote.

Heywood & Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell said: “This is a sensitive issue, and it is right that the vote will be a matter of conscience for individual MPs.

 

 

“I have listened to constituents, medical professionals, faith leaders and others, and have decided that I am not going to support a change in the law.

“I think it would cross a line that we can’t go back from. It could open the door to future legislative changes which would apply to people with non-terminal conditions, and there is a huge risk that some manipulative individuals would be able to coerce vulnerable people – including the poor, and people with mental health problems – into ending their lives.

“People must never be made to feel that, at a particular age – or if they have a health condition or disability – they are a burden and should go.”

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh said: “I’ve been listening to many Rochdale residents on the assisted dying debate and I really understand the strength of feeling on both sides. I hope that when the Commons finally discusses the bill, there will be genuine debate.

 

 

“But the detailed bill was only first published less than a fortnight ago.

"I treat seriously my role as a legislator and undecided MPs like me deserve to hear expert evidence on the safeguards proposed. We can’t afford to get this wrong.

“That’s why I fear that the current Private Members Bill route is not fit for a complex 21st century bill of this nature. There is a real risk both sides will be let down by an outdated Parliamentary process if it fails to allow sufficient time for MPs to craft durable legislation.

“Parliament needs to find a better way to decide legislation on matters of conscience.”

Chris Gee, Local Democracy Reporter 

Additional reporting, Rochdale Online News