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Dignity in Dying responds to Prime Minister’s latest commitment to make time for debate on assisted dying

In comments released today (4pm Tuesday 17th September), the Prime Minister has reaffirmed his commitment to make time for a private member’s bill on assisted dying to be debated. Sir Keir Starmer pledged to honour his promise to Dame Esther Rantzen for a free vote on this issue; a commitment he made in March this year which he “doubled down” on in July.

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:  

“The Prime Minister could not be clearer that he will honour his promise to Dame Esther Rantzen – and the British people – to make time for an assisted dying bill to be fully and fairly debated, with a free vote. With real appetite from MPs across the political spectrum to grip this issue and deliver an assisted dying law for this country, it’s critical that a private member’s bill gets the time, attention and scrutiny it needs in parliament.

“A lifelong campaigner, Dame Esther Rantzen has spent this precious time in her life fighting for change for all dying people.  We owe it to them to get this right and begin a robust, evidence-based process of debate as soon as possible. That process has already begun in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man, and Westminster’s own Health and Social Care Select Committee conducted an in-depth inquiry into assisted dying which concluded that laws for terminally ill people remain limited over time and often result in improvements to end-of-life care.

“Without reform, dying people suffer despite excellent care, with hundreds every year taking matters into their own hands and Dignitas only an option for a privileged few. Safety is woven into the fabric of proposals for law change, introducing practical measures to assess eligibility, ensure rigorous medical oversight, and robustly monitor every part of the process. The time has come to at last reform a status quo that is cruel, unsafe and unfair, and introduce an assisted dying law that gives choice to those of us who want it as we die, and greater protections for us all.”

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For more information please contact Molly Pike, Senior Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk, or call 07855209809.