Assisted dying bill

Personally I'm so glad not to be working in the NHS anymore. Deliberately killing someone was not on my work list.

It has nothing to do with deliberately killing anyone and no doctor would be forced into taking part against their wishes.

The bill is 47 pages long! It is badly conceived and I will be writing to my MP to vote against it.

No one should die a painful death, but there are no guarantees in this life. Even assissted dying can go wrong.

We have to work harder to improve palliative care, to respect the sanctity of human life and to see death as a natural process and not a production line.

The bill is horrible, insidious and poorly thought out.

No doctor can say whether someone has one day or six months to live. It's madness.

Babs my dad would have wanted assisted dieing as he hated what he had become and hated seeing mom watching him die .

Before mom's dementia killed her but her body lived on ..While she still.coukd make decisions and knew she was losing herself she did say I'm going to throw myself down the stairs and die . I pointed out it probably wouldn't kill her just break some bones so she decided not to do it. But she did talk about wanting to die before she forgot everything. If she had asked me to give her enough tablets to do it I would have .

When my husband was terminal we talked about him dieing and told him if the pain got to bad I would help him die both the children knew about this and agreed . He just wanted to get to his 47th so we got them there . He died 4 days later from the cancer . But I had to tell him to stop fighting as even on full oxygen he could breath . Told him we will be ok. He died few minutes later.

I know I don't want an extended life if I lose the quality . And do not want my daughter to go through what I went through especially with my mom . I decided a long time ago if I lost my quality of life due to cancer or was diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's to end my life . Before I destroyed my daughter.

What I went through with my mom took me a year to remember her as she was before the dementia killed her mind and the violence took over. But it was out of fear mom didn't know who she was ,where or who I was she thought I was her mom .

Life without quality isn't living . But I know people will disagree but I wonder how many people have looked after people with life ending conditions by themselves 24/7 for years .

It is deliberate killing, a person wants to die so their life will be
taken

Whiff .

I hope it gets through. It's certainly an option I would want to be able to take.

I can only speak from a point of personal experience, our relatives have had excellent palliative/end of life care, nobody asked to die , in fact the opposite they clung to every minute, second of their lives despite being extremely ill.

I have doubts regarding this Bill, it has been rushed through by the PM on what seems like a promise to a celebrity (Esther Rantzen).

I have been reading about the situation in Canada, it raises more questions than answers.

Whiff so sad to read your post 🌸

I hope that it gets through too - it's something I believe in very strongly.

Whether people want to go through the agony of dying of something like cancer should be down to personal choice. Having a low pain threshold, I certainly don't want to suffer like that and I would very much resent being told I had to because of misguided do-gooders.

There's a good headline on the BBC news website ATM. It's about shortening the death process, not ending life (as the people it concerns are dying anyway).

Cabowich I am definitely not a misguided do gooder just a woman who is being guided by her own experiences.

My maternal Granny had terminal cancer all her major organs were riddled, she just wanted to be in her home with her family and close friends. We made sure there was someone with her 24 hours a day, fortunately her pain was controlled. She was calm and serene and I value that time so much.

I appreciate we all have a different experience, but surely it would be better to ensure that we all have access to excellent palliative care before passing this hasty thought Bill?

@Whiff what you went through is not how an end of life scenario should be, and you suffered awful memories as a result, this is what has spurred me to support assisted dying. I watched my mum die a protracted and painful death, begging us to kill her, and more recently visited a dear friend in a hospice at the end of her life and saw how much pain she was in, her DH still has nightmares and cannot replace those terrible memories with something from their long marriage when she was healthy and happy.
I don’t want to leave my family with that kind of trauma, or cope with ever increasing levels of pain knowing I am dying anyway.
Dignity in death is important to me.

I have witnessed examples of amazing end of life palliative care and also the exact opposite.
I agree with the concept of assisted dying, but agree with others who want hospice care and palliative care upgraded across the board and government funded, these hospices still rely on charity to provide their care, which in this day and age is appalling.

The person who is dying has to administer the lethal dose themselves. No doctor is going to be asked to do it

I hope the bill is passed

GrannyGravy13

Cabowich I am definitely not a misguided do gooder just a woman who is being guided by her own experiences.

My maternal Granny had terminal cancer all her major organs were riddled, she just wanted to be in her home with her family and close friends. We made sure there was someone with her 24 hours a day, fortunately her pain was controlled. She was calm and serene and I value that time so much.

I appreciate we all have a different experience, but surely it would be better to ensure that we all have access to excellent palliative care before passing this hasty thought Bill?

I wasn't accusing anybody in particular of being a misguided do-gooder - it's just a general body of people who, for religious, or so-called moral reasons, think they should dictate how people should die and seem to think nothing of the pain they will probably go through.

This decision should only ever be about personal choice.

And as for palliative care? What a joke - it was only on the news the other day about hospices having to close because they haven't got the funding to carry on. We are a long, long way from having excellent palliative care.

While I understand the feelings behind those who fully support this bill, does it not concern you, even a teeny tiny bit, that some people may be pressured, coerced, or just feel they are such a burden, into taking this route?
From what I understand the patient is going to have to be able to administer the lethal dose to themself, so not respite from suffering for those physically unable to do so.
Canada is indeed a very worrying example. The numbers applying, or being offered MAID, is increasing at an alarming rate.

The thing is that everybody has a different point of view about clinging into life or being allowed to die. One size doesn't fit all. If life has become intolerable then under a very strict criteria, if that person wishes, then helping them to die peacefully and with dignity, is, imo both acceptable and humane. My stepfather had terminal cancer, my mother died suddenly in her sleep, he suffered badly both emotionally and physically, it was a terrible time for him, and we were helpless to help him. I still, 37 years later, can't think about it without tearing up. When he was dying, he told me not to be sad because that was what he had been looking forward to since my mother had died. He also thanked me and DH for all the care and love we had shown him. Should be have been able to die peacefully sooner? On balance I think yes. However, it is a difficult one!

There will be very strict rules about nobody being put into the position of feeling they have no other option, or as a burden, with anyone found to have coerced or pushed someone into that position facing prosecution.

It leads me to wonder how the dwp et al will be held accountable from doing just that.

A few years ago I would have strongly disagreed with this - but having listened to my mother begging to be allowed to die I have changed my mind. She is paralysed due to a stroke, can do nothing for herself and has no quality of life or dignity. Unfortunately as she now has advanced dementia even if this becomes law she would not be considered mentally competent enough to make the decision, so her suffering will continue

keepingquiet

The bill is 47 pages long! It is badly conceived and I will be writing to my MP to vote against it.

No one should die a painful death, but there are no guarantees in this life. Even assissted dying can go wrong.

We have to work harder to improve palliative care, to respect the sanctity of human life and to see death as a natural process and not a production line.

The bill is horrible, insidious and poorly thought out.

No doctor can say whether someone has one day or six months to live. It's madness.

How can assisted dying go wrong if properly done? Can you give any links to any real exemple?

And no, Annie, this is not 'killing someone', it is supporting and assisting someone, who has made a clear and final decision about the amount of suffereing they can continue to take- to do it themselves, safely and properly, rather than in the terrible ways we know some people take when there is no safe, supported options.

Forcing someone to live with unbearable pain, even with the best of paliative care, knowing it will get worse, and in some instances will result in choking to death- as no sanctity or dignity. It is just inhumane and cruel.

Doctors are perfectly able to give a fairly accurate estimation- and it will be entirely a choice, for the person themselves.

Rosie51

While I understand the feelings behind those who fully support this bill, does it not concern you, even a teeny tiny bit, that some people may be pressured, coerced, or just feel they are such a burden, into taking this route?
From what I understand the patient is going to have to be able to administer the lethal dose to themself, so not respite from suffering for those physically unable to do so.
Canada is indeed a very worrying example. The numbers applying, or being offered MAID, is increasing at an alarming rate.

For those withsuch physical disability that they cannot reach, hold and swallow the drug- a drip can be put up and a tiny gesture from the patient can activate it.

No-one, but no-one, is talking about a Canada style option.

Smileless2012

It has nothing to do with deliberately killing anyone and no doctor would be forced into taking part against their wishes.

Well what would you call it. So who will "volunteer"
Euthanasia
"Depending on the circumstances, euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or murder. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment."
From NHS site on this subject.

Excellent palliative care is a lottery. I want to be able to make my own decisions about the end of life. I support the Bill but I would like to see the 6 months life expectancy clause removed. I reject any religious control of people's end of life choice.

I wish I had your trust in the NHS here in the U.K. Fleurpepper

There have been far too many cases of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals being anything but professional. I personally have little trust that there would not be coercion in some circumstances.

Each time there is a case against a hospital, doctor, nurse the same old phrase is trotted out lessons will be learnt unfortunately to date they haven’t been.

I would far rather they get the current system up to standard, no one should die in pain, the drugs are available to prevent this.

The thinking behind the bill is that people shouldn't have an either/or situation.

They shouldn't have to feel that death is a better option than being pain-free, comfortable, and suffering.

It should be an option alongside excellent palliative care.

If only...