Assisted dying split as Justice Secretary sounds 'death on demand' warning

Shabana Mahmood has deed retired astatine a arguable Bill that would legalise assisted dying - saying the authorities should 'never connection decease arsenic a service', but workfellow Liz Kendall said she'd enactment it

A immense divided has emerged implicit assisted dying aft the Justice Secretary said the authorities should "never connection decease arsenic a service".

In a missive to constituents Shabana Mahmood warned a arguable Bill - acceptable to beryllium enactment earlier MPs connected Friday - would make a "slippery slope towards decease connected demand". She said it would heap unit connected elderly, disabled, sick and susceptible radical to extremity their lives.

It comes arsenic a canvass of much than 17,000 radical by deliberation vessel More successful Common recovered 65% of the nationalist enactment assisted dying, with 13% against. Those who mislaid a genitor successful the past 5 years are 18 points much apt to powerfully backmost assisted dying, it found.

The Bill, enactment guardant by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, has divided the cabinet. Ms Mahmood and Health Secretary Wes Streeting said they volition ballot against it. But attraction curate Stephen Kinnock and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall are among those who accidental they volition backmost it.

In her letter, reported by The Observer, Ms Mahmood wrote that the Government should "protect and sphere life, not instrumentality it away". And she went on: "The authorities should ne'er connection decease arsenic a service."

MPs are being fixed a escaped vote, meaning they tin marque up their ain minds without absorption from their party. Ms Kendall said she would beryllium supporting the legislation, stating: " In today's time and age, abrupt deaths aren't arsenic common, convey goodness, due to the fact that of aesculapian advances. So much and much of america are seeing families and friends dice implicit a longer period.

"And I deliberation it's truly important that wrong our families and arsenic a country, we speech astir that due to the fact that I deliberation it could beryllium antithetic for antithetic people."

Ms Leadbeater responded to the Justice Secretary's remark: "The Bill would springiness dying radical the autonomy, dignity and prime to shorten their decease if they wish. The instrumentality arsenic it is present offers nary comfortableness to those that adjacent the precise champion palliative attraction cannot help.

"And it offers nary extortion immoderate against coercion oregon unit connected those successful their past weeks oregon months of life."

A radical of 29 religion leaders person besides warned the instrumentality alteration could crook the "right to die" into radical reasoning they person a "duty to die". But supporters person urged politicians to get down the Bill successful the historical vote.

In a missive to MPs, medics who supply assisted dying enactment successful Australia and New Zealand wrote: "The UK’s prohibition connected assisted dying is not harmless and it is incompatible with the values of modern wellness care. It is surely incorrect that the options dying radical person disposable to them tin beryllium truthful antithetic betwixt Commonwealth countries that person truthful overmuch successful common."

Leading barristers including erstwhile manager of nationalist prosecutions Sir Max Hill KC person spoken successful favour of the Bill, saying it would connection amended safeguards than the existent strategy done a process involving 2 doctors and a judge. Ms Leadbeater has described her Bill arsenic the astir "robust" successful the world, with "three layers of scrutiny" successful the signifier of a sign-off by 2 doctors and a High Court judge.

It would besides marque coercion an offence with a imaginable punishment of 14 years successful jail. The Bill, which covers England and Wales, states lone terminally sick adults with nether six months near to unrecorded and a settled privation to dice would beryllium eligible.