MPs vote to approve assisted dying: LBC instant reaction

[@peterjohnson1091]

Shamina Mahmood stated that one of the reasons she opposes assisted dying is due to her religious beliefs. She has a right to her beliefs but not to use the law to impose the practise of her belief on others. Why should I, maybe, have to suffer at the end of life to satisfy someone else's religious sensibilities?

[@OrganisedMud]

So, MPs are capable of getting things right. Thank heavens. Sanity.

[@rafd3593]

They got it wrong, though

[@stewartmcdowall2285]

Finally grown ups acting like grown ups!

[@trevorstanding6462]

Breaking news = UK politicians try to drag themselves into the 21st century !

[@Simalacrum]

I'm broadly in support of assisted dying, but concerns raised by those against this bill - particularly concerns around the current state of palliative care - absolutely should not be ignored. I think it's important to remember that this is simply allowing for the 2nd Reading. There's going to be very thorough debate about this bill and possibility for amendments before (and if) it's passed. And this thorough debate and argument is something that is very much required for this very sensitive subject - let's all respect each others view on this very personal issue.

[@petergaskin1811]

And hopefully it will be improved and not gutted in Committee.

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

The UK takes another step forward to autonomy and personal freedom of my body - my choice.

[@Sam-b5f4l]

Sam to Sam... I want to life forever even if I'm in pain or have my head in a jar, not when the NHS tells me I cost too much to keep alive and I need to pay for private. Go learn what capitalism is, this will be exploited over time as with everything.

[@rafd3593]

Your choice is not my choice.

[@philipcroucher7376]

@@rafd3593 That's pretty much the point.

[@drummingtildeath]

​@@rafd3593 I have absolutely no idea what the point of your comment is

[@MattStanton1999]

@@rafd3593 Then simple - don't make the choice when you're bedridden, struggling to breathe, and feel like you're suffering too much to continue. Other people though would like to not go through that experience.

[@Lezzyboy87]

Would people prefer people jumping in front of trains?

[@rafd3593]

Difficult if you are bed-ridden.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

So you're saying you wouldn't rescue a person who is attempting to end it all?

[@MrGrifft]

@@rafd3593 Would you prefer an 85 year old brother to be jailed for "murdering" his 81 year old sister at her request? (Jim Moore & Patsy Aust in Northern Ireland 2024) Or would you prefer it be permitted under condition, monitored & administered by medical professionals? This happens while illegal, just like abortions did/do. Legislation on this is long past due.

[@peterjohnson1091]

Hopefully not. Especially if it affects my commute.

[@Brisk275]

Imagine for a moment that you have a dog. It can’t see or walk any more. It yelps in pain when you move it to wash it - something you have to do because it can’t go outside to “do its business”. Oh yeah you’re a real hero for keeping it ‘alive’ aren’t you? It’s absolutely insane that we live in a society where we treat humans worse than animals. But this bill won’t lead to a law where everyone is euthanised- it will lead to a Law where people can CHOOSE to no longer need to live a life they’re being forced to live. Let’s see how much damage the unelected clerics can do to it in the House of Lords.

[@quadq6598]

Agree with terminal illness but you sound like you may be talking about someone with dementia?? this bill will not cover that as impossible to give consent

[@rafd3593]

We are not dogs.

[@Brisk275]

@@rafd3593Exactly- yet we treat our fellow humans with less dignity than dogs. Hopefully we’re going in the right direction here.

[@Brisk275]

@@quadq6598I simply meant “if a dog is on its last legs only a cruel person would drag its life out. Yet that’s what we do to humans.

[@robdabanks]

@@quadq6598 Not impossible. You just need a framework in place to recognise the early stages of it and have those tough conversations whilst cognative comprehension levels are higher than later when they're considerably lower. It's a bit more difficult in situations where a person (potentially younger) has a sudden illness or incident that causes immediate cognative decline. Strokes, motoring accidents, ect. That area is especially spooky for those sorts of subjects on consent.

[@SimplySketchyGT]

From a young age, I recognised that valuing life does not mean forcing someone to exist in pain, drugged up that they don't recognise anything around them, suffering, does not protect the sanctity of life. It's cruel to force someone to have to live like that if they don't want to endure that.

[@websitemartian]

is this another insane leftist idea? seems like it ....

[@bigblue6917]

I am with you here. You do the same to a dog you will be prosecuted for cruelty.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@@SimplySketchyGT Then you were wrong.

[@jonathanboam5409]

@@stephfoxwell4620 Your debating skills are breath-taking

[@Brisk275]

@@jonathanboam5409 Steph is doing the rounds! 😁.

[@robdabanks]

Almost every care worker I've ever met and worked with agrees with me that assisted dying is something we *need* as a matter of compassion. It's only compassionate when you're privilaged enough to not have to watch a human being degrade slowly into sorrow and pain, losing their mental or physical capacity all for the sake of preservation. Over Covid, I watched a man deny himself of food and eventually water for 5-6 days. We were instructed to provide him moisture/water via a que tip tipped in water into his cheeks. He was on death's door and would still use what energy he had to turn his head away and deny us from keeping him alive. He didn't want his family to watch him suffer. He wanted to go during lockdown, to make it easier on them and in those final days, he looked more like a skeleton than the man he was at the start. There's a line. There absolutely is and it's difficult to know where it is, but after spending so much time exposed to that, I have a deep and genuine fear, stronger than any other in my life of being trapped in a care home and being forced to exist, rather than live.

[@esecallum]

New rubber stamps ordered. 'APPROVED'

[@paulmaguire4627]

More fitting that they should approve assisted living

[@machidaman]

Two distinct things.

[@coreyc1685]

That’s not going to happen now that sick and disabled folks are considered worthless scroungers who only burden others. We already have Tory columnists in the Telegraph fantasising about a future in which the unfit can be socially pressured into calling it quits.

[@knightsnight5929]

Excellent news

[@carolinethomas6562]

Great discussion about the complexities and risks of this. Thank you. If we didn't have a broken and hugely-underfunded health service and if there weren't many senior doctors who are callous narcissists and if there weren't a sizeable number of heinous relatives likely to coerce a vulnerable person into agreeing to be killed in order to get an inheritance a bit sooner... if... if.....then it would still be a risky door to open.

[@petebateman143]

This bill was critical to getting the government to take the issue seriously at all. Now they'll actually have to answer these perfectly valid concerns over just how something like this might be done safely rather than hand wave it away with vague references of how difficult it all is. This is a difficult discussion that is nowhere near over, but it must be had. At least those of us who support this no longer feel it's simply being shrugged off.

[@PaulK-ve1pu]

We are the captains of our own ships. If we have mental capacity, whatever our age, it is our own decision to end our lives that should be respected. It is an inconsistent lunacy that the Mental Capacity Act (2005) allows us to make unwise decisions that may cause harm to ourselves, yet we did not allow those in pain and terminal disease to control their final destiny. A great wrong has been corrected.

[@danmayberry1185]

A secular examination passes this into law. If the patient is of sound mind, even family members should honour their wishes.

[@mikester4896]

It is important that anything on the bill about abuse and coercion is heavily scrutinised and well thought through though.

[@danmayberry1185]

@mikester4896 Yes, the Mother and Father of the House set the groundwork for said scrutiny when they suggested a risk in patients not wishing to burden their families.

[@nonyabisness6306]

what is a sound mind tho. being in constant pain and under the influence of pain-killers for example does not make for a sound mind.

[@danmayberry1185]

@@nonyabisness6306 Absolutely - I have heard doctors and lawyers say as much. The trick is to a) notarize your end-of-life wishes in advance, or b) voluntary ween off meds with psychotropic side effects long enough to give your instructions. Obviously most of us would pick A. Similar conditions exist for DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) orders to prevent extraordinary measures in the event of indefinite coma or brain injury.

[@graemebuchan8142]

NHS/DWP are gonna save a fortune.

[@MrAsiadream]

this means we dont have to guess what to take just get on with it

[@keithmason7481]

I suggest you look up about the death of King George 5th,in particular the words of his physician in his diaries made public in 1986

[@rosiegiesler4705]

Tbh regardless of the result even though I fully support it. I think there should have been a referendum on it, just like we had with abortion in 1975. Far to many MP’s we’re voting for themselves and not for there constituents. Personally I don’t care how 650 MP’s vote. It’s a personal decision which means that it should be something the public have a say over not just MP’s

[@petergaskin1811]

Enough with referenda and petitions.

[@stevenstruyf3606]

Part of this is you cannot get old with dignity anymore unless you go broke. You know when you are getting older you will face more health issues that could ruin you. To save your children you may decide that living in the government's disrespectful treatment of you as an older person, you may still want to give your children a better future.

[@therealrobertbirchall]

Oh yes cut benefits for old people smash the NHS. Granny and the very sick can just do one. Disgusting.

[@petergaskin1811]

Says who?

[@marcopalazzo9349]

It's not very hard, go to the countries that has this in law work out what they have learnt from many years and implement what works and what doesnt work. MPs making more work for more money to line the pockets of friends.

[@keithmason7481]

As someone born in 1941 l remember talk of doctors using the so called 'Morphine Cocktail ' to ease a patient's path to a hopefully painless death .

[@MatthewStein-m8y]

Think remember history!

[@petergaskin1811]

What is that supposed to mean?

[@Robert_DeVille]

Wow, we do have some adults and critical thinkers in Parliament. That makes a nice change after the clownshoes chaos of the last few years.

[@yamyampi36]

I wish this law was in place when my mom was suffering. Hopefully it goes through.

[@rafd3593]

Safeguards need adding to the bill to protect the vulnerable from coercion, clarification of the role of the judge (no rubber stamping) and provision for doctors not to have to assist a death if it is against their conscience (the Hippocratic oath will need changing), Etc., Etc.

[@coltaine503]

Here in Oregon we have had the Death with Dignity law since 1997. It has very strict guidelines. First is that the patient has to be diagnosed with a fatal disease that will cause death within 6 months and confirmed by more than one medical provider. Secondly, the patient must be able to communicate his/her own wishes clearly, no one else can communicate for them. Third, be over the age of 18. Fourth, be able to administer the drugs themselves. No one is allowed to do it for them, they have to do it themselves. As of 2023 4,247 people have been provided the prescription. 2,847 have died from said prescriptions. That's a 26-year span.

[@petergaskin1811]

The problem is that far too many people suffer from conditions which means that they can't do it for themselves. Unless you can do it via an eye-blink app on your computer.

[@coltaine503]

@@petergaskin1811 Well, that's the problem in a nutshell, isn't it? Who gets final say. I hear what you are saying, and individual cases may be heart-wrenching, but there have to be very high, sturdy guardrails to avoid abuse or else opponents of any kind of law that provides relief will win in the end.

[@IsSalty]

It really does blow my mind just how many thousands of comments I've seen from people who are against this bill who very clearly haven't bothered to educate themselves by actually reading it, but instead make up random nonsense or compare to other countries that have completely inadequate systems in place compared to this bill. I'm not 100% happy with this bill, it needs to be tightened and it needs to be scrutinised fully, but for gods sake, actually read it if you want to form an opinion.

[@rafd3593]

Nor should you be happy with it .

[@IsSalty]

@ On balance it’s a policy I would support, but it does need amendments and should be voted through to the next stage. The problem with this sort of thing is we can never be 100% sure of anything with health, some people are given the all clear from cancer and 6 months later they are dying in agony, some are given 6 months and live 10+ years. Ultimately it’s up to the person suffering.

[@petergaskin1811]

@@rafd3593 This is only the First reading. Way to go yet.

[@petergaskin1811]

People should read today's "Law and Policy Blog" by David Allen Green to find out the background to this Bill (not Act).

[@rafd3593]

@@petergaskin1811 Time to add the protections needed 👍

[@paulwalker797]

Great news.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Why?

[@paulwalker797]

@@stephfoxwell4620 Because those who suffer with no solution or treatment in sight get the right to decide when to die with dignity. I lost my mother recently and almost all the women in the hospice said they wished they had the right to decide when enough was enough. There is no evidence I can find, from countries and US states that have the right to die, that these laws are abused. All right minded people have respect for peoples right to chose. I want that right for myself too.

[@christinemary7101]

Canada

[@knightsnight5929]

​@@christinemary7101Switzerland

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@paulwalker797 You do realise this is a moral issue don't you? Not a Lassie movie with a weepy ending.

[@antinatalope]

The right to (continue to) exist, and conversely to no longer exist, should be universal. To choose one's journey should be an absolute.

[@youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwan8419]

I consider this up there with a DNR order. I’ve lost people to painful, undignified illnesses, morally I think if it’s highly regulated, this is morally right. Strong palliative care has to go hand in hand with this.

[@petergaskin1811]

Only if required to stretch out the process.

[@granthammond8505]

We don't treat our pets the way we treat people with a terminal illness and in tremendous pain!

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@@granthammond8505 Pets are not human beings

[@pjwhitlock4198]

@@stephfoxwell4620Whilst that’s true, lots of us still love our pets as though they’re family. I personally am happy this went to second reading. It makes no sense to deny people their choice to end their life when they are effectively being tortured by the disease that is already robbing them of their life.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@pjwhitlock4198 That's what they all say. Like they are being lovely and kind. It is a pathetic abnegation of moral rectitude and I am disgusted that you can be so vacuous.

[@jimmyrecard5056]

@@stephfoxwell4620 why do you support torturing your reletives by dragging them through life in agony?

[@davidoshea4325]

I am in full support of this bill. People with the later stages of dementia are mere shells , I watched my mother die, and every time I went to see her I wanted to put a pillow over her face to see her in peace. A dignified woman soiling herself and bedwetting, not being able to recognise any family members, spoon fed , no dignity left, and just an empty shell. It broke my heart to see her like that. This may sound crass but I think to private nursing homes they are just an asset.

[@chrysalis4126]

I dont think it would apply to dementia sufferers as they are not able to give permission for it.

[@rafd3593]

I’m delighted to hear that your mum is retaining her dignity, thanks most probably to the loving care being administered to her at her care home.

[@petergaskin1811]

Ditto. My Mother couldn't eat or drink by the time she reached the last stage of Alzheimer's, she weighed 4½ at death.

[@rich-rothschild1400]

History repeating itself.

[@bigbinji6145]

Does the acceptance of assistance in dying --effectively negate any life insurance policies ?

[@chrysalis4126]

Interesting point. I'm sure that will be discussed. Maybe the being only six months terminal will be able to be a condition?

[@peterjohnson1091]

No. The law will allow for that.

[@mogznwaz]

I don’t have a problem with it on principle - if you’re dying with no chance of improvement then having some choice over how you go out is humane and gives you control. It’s the WHO and HOW that I have a problem with

[@machidaman]

Why should you need to be dying? Many people live with conditions that make their lives intolerable and may face decades of pain and suffering leading to them attempting to take their lives that are risky, painful and very distressing to anybody involved. They deserve consideration.

[@petergaskin1811]

Then give your evidence before the Committee when this goes before them.

[@sodiumlights]

Very, very pleased with this result. (Also, I thought Iain's discussion last night was superb, thank you!).

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@@sodiumlights Shame on you.

[@sodiumlights]

@stephfoxwell4620 I hope you have a lovely Friday night. Thank you for spoiling mine

[@MR-iw3rp]

I will ask you next time when they vote for all terminal ill to be assisted dying. Do you trust the government? You are living in illusion they. From choice things will be turned into mandate.

[@dianamincher6479]

Fast track the bill for the benefit of the suffering- have a heart!

[@ColinGreen-pi7kj]

Will the patient agree to euthanasia or do we keep it a secret from them ?

[@IsSalty]

What? the patient is the only one who can push for this.

[@quadq6598]

The patient has to fully consent so will not be used in, for example, dementia cases, I suspect many people think it would apply & having recently nursed my own mother through a drawn out unpleasant dementia death I tend to agree but not possible without full consent of the one to be euthanised? murdered?? maybe in the future people can do living wills requesting such a death prior to illness??

[@IsSalty]

@ having been watching a close family member dealing with dementia and seeing the stress it puts on everyone and the loss of dignity, I would happily sign a will right now that states if I develop dementia to the point where I cannot look after myself and for example I’m showing rapid decline and have no quality of life, I’d rather go than stick around and suffer that.

[@petergaskin1811]

The patient is the only one who can request this. Certainly not their relatives.

[@Peppy10003]

Personally I dont think assisted dying isn't a bad thing but im concerned that we would end up going the same direction of Canada where doctors will come up to someone whos struggling and say "have you tried killing yourself".

[@simplySY8]

Are they actually doing this? This sounds like a one of case at best. What's the actual context rather than a soundbite.

[@matthewsmith908]

As someone in Canada, that's absolute nonsense. There are policies and procedures in place to ensure MAiD is used appropriately

[@danmayberry1185]

If you were Canadian you would see how offside that hyperbole is. ALS sufferer Sue Rodriguez fought with her last breath to inject compassion and dignity into Canadian Law. I can attest that physicians take palliative care very seriously, including end of life care between patients and their families.

[@nikc1313]

Stay away from X, you'll end up believing all sorts of nonsense.

[@Peppy10003]

@@nikc1313 I would, but that's where I find my goofy content so it's hard.

[@MAGAted]

this decision should be set aside, the public should be given this in a referendum

[@oldboy5001]

73% of the public are in favour.

[@MattStanton1999]

We just had a referendum - it's called a General Election, and the dominant party supported introducing this bill.

[@jonathanboam5409]

The last time the British public got a referendum, we ended up imposing economic sanctions on ourselves. No thanks

[@petergaskin1811]

Too late. Enough with referenda and petitions. If Democracy relies on people of average intelligence, remember, that means half of them are as thick as two short planks. We had enough of this nonsense in 2016.

[@cebusapella9125]

No, it's a matter of personal choice.

[@oneleggedwonder1]

this is great news for the UK doctors need to not see this as killing there patients but instead honouring there patients wishes

[@John-p7i5g]

Or their relatives' wishes

[@christinemary7101]

Not a chance

[@MatthewStein-m8y]

@@oneleggedwonder1 History's political agendas can not be forgotten especially as we witness today's globalist agendas!

[@IsSalty]

@@John-p7i5g Except the patient has to be of sound mind and has to be terminally ill, educate yourself.

[@rafd3593]

Whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?

[@susangarvey9415]

My friend died earlier this year, he was relatively young (54), I miss him terribly and wish he was here for a little longer. From diagnosis to his final day was fairly quick, he was in some pain, but it didn't linger on for months or years, he died peacefully in hospital with his family around him, he died naturally, I'm certain everyone would like to go this way, I'm still not sure how I feel about this law but surely everyone should be able to chose what they want❤

[@Sam-b5f4l]

Sorry as you've now exceeded pension age by ten years the NHS can only offer you a way out. If you'd like to extend your life period a quote will be provided based on the cost of your accrued conditions.

[@danmayberry1185]

Dystopian twaddle.

[@MatthewStein-m8y]

@@Sam-b5f4lYes it's already the hidden reality !

[@chrysalis4126]

It's for people with less than six months left to live. With two doctors agreeing that that is the case.

[@rafd3593]

@@danmayberry1185 People probably called 1984 dystopian twaddle when it was first published.

[@MatthewStein-m8y]

@chrysalis4126 After COVID and who actually knows how long a person we live!Problem is the system is being controlled by unseen burocrats!

[@jsb331]

Thank ye gods.

[@meerakelly3275]

This is a vote that should go to the people, not MP's. A referendum should be held for this so everyone can make their choice. Why is it the UK is always behind other countries, even Spain which is a mainly a Catholic country has assisted dying.

[@rafd3593]

Some might say that Spain has gone backwards in accepting assisted suicide, and that the UK is still ahead of the Spaniards (and I’m half Spanish).

[@meerakelly3275]

@rafd3593 obviously you would rather see someone you love suffer the last days of their lives than give them the tools to enable them to leave this earth with a bitbof dignity. We are kinder to animals than we are to our own race.

[@peterjohnson1091]

The people would vote for assisted dying, and it would still be down to Parliament to decide the details. Anyway, the referendum should only be for constitutional matters.

[@wiseget-f7e]

Many people don’t trust London Labour with their day to day activities never mind their lives!

[@MegaKapo12]

What's your problem with London?

[@knightsnight5929]

You have issues mate

[@danmayberry1185]

"Many people" and "London Labour" plucked from the echo chamber. What is your original opinion?

[@christinemary7101]

Whats right with labour,

[@greatlambrini8722]

About time!

[@stephfoxwell4620]

@@greatlambrini8722 Why?

[@MalcolmMacKenzie-ou1mt]

@greatlambrini8722 About time? People like you have no idea what this is going to mean in the future because you don't think about the future. Do you not understand, do you really not grasp that this is going to lead to the over the counter death pull up pharmacy? They'll eventually make their way into the playgrounds of schools, night clubs, retirement homes, can you really not see the danger that's coming because of this? The safeguards are never going to be enough, they'll get whittled away until it does become the death pill at the counter top, now please **** wake up!

[@Lee-bv6iv]

In the words of Sam Hyde, "so we looked at the data, we looked at the data."

[@kingflynxi9420]

Why should we care what he has to say 😂

[@anthonyrowland9072]

Sam Hyde should ask for this.

[@RobertThomson-y4m]

What a sad day for our country.

[@emilymccartney1593]

People have been campaigning for years for this. It didn’t start today.

[@yamyampi36]

I wish this law was in place when my mom was suffering.

[@IsSalty]

The words of someone who isn't terminally Ill and in pain.

[@rafd3593]

@@IsSalty … but who will bravely put up with the pain when they become terminally ill.

[@IsSalty]

@@rafd3593 I’m not sure what your point is, at the moment those people don’t have a choice but to put up with the pain even if they don’t want to and have no quality of life.

[@christinemary7101]

Canada

[@mattsmith3750]

No, this is in the UK.

[@christinemary7101]

Really

[@mattsmith3750]

@christinemary7101 Yeah, the UK government just voted yes on this bill to legalise medically assisted dying. I think it's already legal in Canada.

[@MrGrifft]

@@christinemary7101 Religious people are not equipped to engage in this discussion. Please exit stage left.

[@Lezzyboy87]

​@MrGrifft tbh anyone who believes in fairytales should be denied a vote

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Shame on them. Disgraceful.

[@Justinian-IV]

😆

[@RatluBoogerbag]

This is a dark day for our country.

[@paulwalker797]

Don't be ridiculous.

[@briankerrison8504]

Not as dark for those that suffer with non stop pain & suffering. 🤔

[@MrManBuzz]

What's dark is you're happy to force people to suffer longer than they want to. Who are you to tell someone else how they choose to end their final days? The sheer arrogance.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Hear Hear. Dreadful.

[@pottdogg4207]

What a horrible person to think that

[@house2homeplus511]

Ezekiel 18:32 [32]For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

[@FRU.No.1]

Take your sky wizard nonsense elsewhere

[@yamyampi36]

Easy to say when your not the 1 suffering.

[@cameronmason2477]

I don't think that's entirely relevant to someone already on deaths door. It's about turning away from a life of "wrongdoing" and living a "righteous" life. Exactly why religion should play no part in state politics.

[@house2homeplus511]

@yamyampi36 people suffered over many things sure suggestions is always death ...mental illness..death poverty suffering death... financial suffering... death

[@yamyampi36]

@ anyone could take their own life but this is about family not being punished for helping a loved 1 carry out there wishes.

[@Olivia67v]

Watching your channel is like being immersed in a fun world of laughter and hilarity. Continue to amaze and inspire us with your quality entertainment!🍏🍭🤞