An open letter to the Prime Minister
51,281 people have signed this letter calling for a full debate on assisted dying
Dear Prime Minister,
On Friday 22nd October the Second Reading of Baroness Meacher’s Assisted Dying Bill passed unopposed through the House of Lords. It is clear that Peers are ready to have an inclusive, grown-up conversation about the cruel injustice of the current law and work towards an assisted dying law that is safe, fair and compassionate.
We know that 84% of the general public support assisted dying. It is now essential that your government commits to giving time to this issue, to allow for as much scrutiny of the evidence as possible. Only then can there be a full and proper debate of the issues.
The law before the House of Lords is tried and tested with more than twenty years of evidence from countries around the world. Without this change, terminally ill Britons will have to continue to travel abroad to die, end their own lives in traumatic and lonely ways, and suffer against their wishes in their final days and weeks of life. If we’re serious about protecting vulnerable people, we need a new assisted dying law.
We, the undersigned, call on your government to allow the time required to scrutinise and develop a law that would provide terminally ill, mentally competent adults the choice and dignity they so desperately need at the end of their lives.
The signed version of this letter with all 51,281 names was posted to Downing Street.
