Assisted dying inquiry must lead to positive Government action, public demands

As public submissions to the House of Commons assisted dying inquiry come to a close this Friday 20th January, a national poll has revealed significant public support for Westminster to act on assisted dying.

The polling, carried out by YouGov on behalf of Dignity in Dying, asked the public what outcome they would most like to see from the Health & Social Care Select Committee assisted dying inquiry, launched in December.

A clear majority of respondents were in favour of the Government taking positive steps towards assisted dying law reform as an outcome of the inquiry, with only 3% of respondents wanting no Government action. The preferred actions that Government should take include putting forward a Government Assisted Dying Bill (36%), making Parliamentary time for a free vote (25%), gathering more evidence before proceeding to a vote (22%), or establishing a citizens’ assembly to consider the issue (18%). Just 4% said the Inquiry should recommend the Government actively opposes the legalisation of assisted dying.

The poll also showed clear public support for the voices of dying people being at the heart of the inquiry, with 74% believing terminally ill people are one of the most important groups to provide evidence. It also highlighted health and care professionals (60%) and those who have been involved in implementing assisted dying in countries where it is legal (53%) as key groups for providing evidence.

Sarah Wootton, Dignity in Dying Chief Executive, said:

“The message from the public is clear: the Government must take action on assisted dying. Brits overwhelmingly agree that terminally ill people must be listened to; doing nothing in the face of the harm and injustice they face is simply not an option.

“The blanket ban on assisted dying represents a patient safety crisis, with terminally ill people forced to choose between suffering unbearably against their wishes or taking matters into their own hands, either alone behind closed doors or overseas at eye-watering expense. Parliamentarians across the British Isles are recognising that these outdated laws are unfit for purpose, with assisted dying bills progressing in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

“This inquiry could be a step towards a safer, more compassionate law for England and Wales, but only if it makes space for the most important voices to be heard – dying people and bereaved relatives. Westminster is at a fork in the road: it can choose to ignore the evidence of the dangers of the status quo, or it can accept its failings and find a way through to give dying people the safeguarded choice they want and need. There is no question which option the British public is calling for.”

Assisted dying law in the UK

The British public overwhelmingly supports law change on assisted dying, with this latest poll (74%) in line with surveys over the last 30 years consistently showing that between 70 and 80% are in favour of changing the law to allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults in their final months of life the choice to die on their own terms. Only 13% of respondents said they would oppose such a change in the law.

Assisted dying is banned across the British Isles. It is currently a crime in England and Wales under the Suicide Act 1961, which states that a person found guilty of “assisting or encouraging a suicide” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. People who survive an attempt to take their own life alongside a loved one could be charged with manslaughter and others who offer more direct assistance could be charged with murder.

James Catmur, 62, has advanced multiple sclerosis and is planning to have an assisted death at Dignitas in Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal, when he is in his final months if he is suffering unbearably. His wife Helen died of motor neurone disease in 2016. James said:

“I urge the Committee to take note of the huge support for this issue and to listen to stories like mine so they can really see the harms being done by the current law.

“My wife Helen suffered as she died and in the final days of her life she was bedbound, only able to move her right hand and eyes; communicating only using an iPad. She died after removing the ventilator she had become dependent on to breathe, in order to hasten the inevitable, the only feasible option open to her. It was a horrible way to go. I am fearful of my own death, and want to take some control, but I shouldn’t be forced to travel hundreds of miles and at huge expense to have the kind of death I want.

“If assisted dying were an option available to me, I would be able to live longer and say my goodbyes to my children when the time is right for me. I would ask the Committee if they would like this choice for themselves and their loved ones, and ask how much longer the Government can deny it to people like me and Helen.”

Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has indicated that people with serious and potentially terminal illnesses are more than twice as likely to take their own lives than those without, with Dignity in Dying research estimating that up to 650 terminally ill people every year take their own lives. This is in addition to the pre-pandemic average of 50 Brits a year who travel to Switzerland for an assisted death (costing at least £10,000 and risking prosecution for loved ones who accompany an individual) and 6,400 people a year who would die in pain even with universal access to hospice care (as estimated by the Office of Health Economics).

Where is assisted dying legal?

Over 200 million people around the world have access to some form of assisted dying law, including in 11 states in the US, all Australian states and the whole of New Zealand, where the choice is available to terminally ill, mentally competent adults subject to strict safeguards. President Emmanuel Macron has announced a national debate in France with a view to legalising assisted dying by the end of 2023, and a special Dáil committee will examine the topic in Ireland later this year.

*ENDS*

For further information or interviews with James and others with personal stories, representatives of Dignity in Dying or parliamentarians, please contact Molly Pike, Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying on 07929 731181 or email: molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk.