Terminally ill people in England and Wales could soon have the right to choose to end their lives

A judge and two doctors would have to agree that terminally ill patients can be helped to end their lives under a proposed new law that’s just been introduced in Parliament.

A separate bill is already under discussion in Scotland, and politicians in both Jersey and the Isle of Man have voted to approve plans that could allow assisted dying in future.

Jenny Carruthers was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 2020. She wants the right to die, and believes terminally ill people deserve a voice. Her partner died of liver cancer in 2013 and she saw firsthand what it’s like to die a painful death.

“Our law as it stands is unsafe; it doesn’t allow any choice.”

“The law as it stands means that either I’ve got to suffer that or I’ve got to break the law, wave goodbye to my children on the airport steps if I’ve got enough money to go to Switzerland… if they come with me they’d be open to prosecution.”

The bill is being introduced by Labour MP Kim Ledbeater and she says there will be really strict limits on who would be eligible.

She says only terminally ill people who have 6 to 12 months left to live, and are able to decide for themselves, will be eligible, which is similar to laws in 11 states of America.

This is different to assisted suicide which can involve people who are not terminally ill – assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland.

But there is fierce opposition to this bill from religious groups who believe in the sanctity of life, to disability campaigners who say it’s a slippery slope.

Miro Griffiths is an academic and disability rights activist who fears this bill will devalue lives like his.

“The communities that will be most affected by the bill are facing systemic injustices, they’re facing discrimination in terms of the places where they live, the resources and services they’re trying to access and the quality of life that they have currently. Those things will play into the choices people make about the value of their life.”

The law may start with assisted dying, they argue, but over time laws can change, and a few years from now this could evolve to assisted suicide.

The academic told Channel 4 News “there are many voices who want assisted dying who wouldn’t be eligible for the criteria that’s being proposed so what you’ll have is a continuation of campaigning and as we’ve seen in other countries the criteria then expands.”

The last time this came up in Parliament was in 2015, and MPs voted against, but the mood has moved on since then.

Opinion polls over recent years have regularly shown support in the UK for assisted dying, with as much as 60-75% in favour.

Crucially though the Prime Minister is making this a free vote so Labour MPs can vote with their conscience, not with their party.

For 6 weeks now MPs will fiercely debate this issue but it is one that all main parties are likely to be split on.