Statement – Terminally Ill Adult (End of Life) Bill 3rd Reading

This is a highly contentious, complex, emotive subject with strongly held ethical and moral views on both sides of the argument. The voting decision that I had to make was not a straightforward decision. It has been an incredibly challenging and the arguments on both sides of this debate, both inside and outside of UK Parliament, were powerful.

Today I voted in favour of this Bill.

As you will know, there was a majority vote in favour of the Bill. It will now, of course face further scrutiny and need to pass similar stages in the House of Lords before it can become a law. So, there is still quite a way to go until a final draft of the Bill is agreed by both Houses and becomes an Act of Parliament.

In my opinion, this Bill is about giving people who are dying and have less than 6 months or less to live a choice, should they want it, about the how and when they die. The key here is it is a choice and if people do not want that choice then they do not have to take it.

I believe the bill has very strong safeguards in it, recognising the concerns that many people such as yourself have on issues like coercion, safeguards, checks and balances. The process that someone would need to follow should they choose to take this route is rigorous and robust – probably the most rigorous in the world.

For me, the key words are “terminally ill adult.” Hence, people under 18 and those with illness that are not terminal e.g. eating disorders would not be able to choose a voluntary assisted death.

This bill has had more scrutiny and parliamentary time than most major legislation. Of course, that is totally correct for such an important subject, and I welcome the input from colleagues, constituents, organisations, representatives from the medical profession and others, regardless of what side of the debate they are on.

As I have mentioned, assisted dying should not become an alternative to high-quality palliative end of life care. People deserve dignity in dying, and each person nearing the end of their life should feel reassured and safe in the knowledge they will receive the very best care.

Palliative care is vitally important to terminally ill people; and I want to see more investment into our palliative care services alongside improvement of them and better consistent availability across the UK. Nothing in this bill prevents that happening, but we also have to recognise that palliative care does not lead to a pain free, dignified death in all cases.

Whilst laws over assisted dying are reserved, end-of-life care is devolved to Wales, and access to good palliative care services makes a big difference to the quality of life of people facing a life-limiting illness. It is worth noting that the Welsh Government spends over £10.5 million annually on end-of-life care.

Ultimately, I believe that as much as possible people should have choice and control over their own lives – one thing is certain, all our lives will end and that should happen with dignity and with as little suffering as possible.

As your elected representative in Parliament, I want to wholeheartedly thank you again for sharing your thoughts, opinions and experiences with me. Your input was invaluable to me in my considerations, which I spent a lot of time on.

Though some constituents might disagree with my voting decision today, many others will be pleased. However, I humbly and sincerely hope that all constituents in Wrexham can respect the process through which I have made my decision.