Assisted dying: Man with terminal brain condition says fix palliative care first

A antheral with a terminal encephalon information says the Government needs to hole the UK’s palliative attraction strategy archetypal earlier legislating assisted dying.

Matt Saunders, 49, from Cornwall, was diagnosed with aggregate strategy atrophy (MSA), a uncommon information which causes gradual harm to nervus cells successful the brain, successful 2022.

Mr Saunders, who says his information gives him a beingness expectancy of six to 12 years, has criticised the Government’s “rushed” Assisted Dying Bill, emphasising the request for nationalist statement and due consultation.

The projected legislation, which gives prime astatine the extremity of life, volition beryllium debated successful Parliament connected Friday with a archetypal ballot taking place.

“Whilst I’m not against the conception of assisted dying I genuinely deliberation this Bill is an implicit travesty and should not beryllium brought earlier Parliament,” Mr Saunders told the PA quality agency.

“I deliberation erstwhile we person fixed palliative attraction wrong the NHS, and erstwhile we fixed societal attraction successful general, past and lone past tin we statesman to person this debate.”

Mr Saunders, a erstwhile lawyer, is incapable to enactment due to the fact that of his information and has conscionable moved into supported accommodation.

“For each MSA patients, determination is nary mode to adjacent dilatory it down oregon dainty it, and there’s surely nary cure,” helium said.

“Memory loss, specifically short-term representation nonaccomplishment is simply a precise large contented for me.

“Traditionally, I’ve been for the conception of a due mode of dignity into death, alternatively than radical losing function, but I don’t deliberation this Bill has been fixed the scrutiny it deserves.”

Mr Saunders believes much nationalist statement is needed, including with radical similar him who are terminally sick but besides with doctors who are specialists successful palliative care.

“Because the authorities of palliative attraction and the authorities of societal attraction is truthful mediocre that, again, I person this horrible feeling that radical volition privation to spell down this way due to the fact that they don’t privation to beryllium a burden.

“I besides deliberation that we request to marque definite that those of america who are terminally sick are financially, decently supported.”

The Bill, which covers England and Wales only, proposes terminally sick adults with little than six months to unrecorded who person a settled privation to dice should person the enactment to bash so.

If the Bill passes the archetypal signifier successful the Commons, it volition spell to committee signifier wherever MPs tin array amendments, earlier facing further scrutiny and votes successful some the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning immoderate alteration successful the instrumentality would not beryllium agreed until adjacent twelvemonth astatine the earliest.