Assisted dying bill backed by MPs

[pellinore]

Assisted dying could become legal in England and Wales after the bill was backed by MPs in a historic vote.

Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 ayes compared to 275 noes at its second reading in the House of Commons - a majority of 55.

The bill would allow adults with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives.

Today's result means the legislation will now progress to the committee stage for scrutiny, with the Lords also to be given opportunities to express their views on the measure before it potentially becomes law.

MPs were given a free vote - meaning they could side with their conscience and not along party lines, with the government staying neutral on the matter.

Assisted dying bill backed by MPs after emotional Commons debate | Politics News | Sky News

Edited November 29 by pellinore

[Duke Wellington]

Not sure what I think about this one.

But I do know if I had a dog wrapped around my wheels I would hit it over the head with a spade to put it out its misery.

[+and-then]

I've always thought the real downside to these efforts is the potential for family members to send granny on her way so the kids can pad their bank account.  I couldn't see myself ending me unless I was suffering intractable pain or was slowly suffocating from COPD.

[stevewinn]

You put your dog down if its suffering, but if its a human because we are so much more special, and precious compared to every other organism on the planet we allow people to suffer. IF people want to kill themselves in a dignified way and time of their choosing let them i say. even those who are not ill, but just had enough. there's 8 billion more of us. emotion needed to be taken out of the debate, all the hand-wringing wailing and weeping on the news and parliment.

[itsnotoutthere]

I too am in two minds about this. As has been stated, we wouldn't allow a dog to suffer in pain & I don't see why a human should suffer in pain either after all in most cases if a cure cannot be found and the prognosis is death then you're just prolonging the inevitable.

Edited November 30 by itsnotoutthere

[pellinore]

12 hours ago, stevewinn said:

You put your dog down if its suffering, but if its a human because we are so much more special, and precious compared to every other organism on the planet we allow people to suffer. IF people want to kill themselves in a dignified way and time of their choosing let them i say. even those who are not ill, but just had enough. there's 8 billion more of us. emotion needed to be taken out of the debate, all the hand-wringing wailing and weeping on the news and parliment.

12 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

I too am in two minds about this. As has been stated, we wouldn't allow a dog to suffer in pain & I don't see why a human should suffer in pain either after all in most cases if a cure cannot be found and the prognosis is death then you're just prolonging the inevitable.

It is a difficult moral conundrum. If a young person breaks their spine through an accident and need life-long 24-hour care, they know they are putting pressure on their families- not to say the NHS and tax-payers. I would guess looking after a paraplegic at home cost about £200,000 per year, and disrupts family life quite considerably. I know the proposed legislation is intended to apply to people only at the end of life, but if you know they are prepared to end their lives early, isn't it selfish you continuing to be a burden to everyone? Once we have become accustomed to letting terminally ill people end their lives, it may be easier to allow chronically ill people to do the same-  with a little bit of coercion.