Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will double down on his promise of a free vote on assisted suicide, though he says it is unlikely to take place within the first year of his government.
Speaking to the media, the UK’s new Prime Minister said: “I will double down on that [assisted suicide] commitment – we will allow time for a private members bill, and there will be a free vote… I’m not going back on the commitment I made, but we have got to set out priorities for the first year or so.”
There have been increasing calls from Esther Rantzen and others for the UK to legalise assisted suicide. Sir Keir Starmer has also voiced support for such a law, which he has previously voted for.
However, campaigners such as Liz Carr have said that assisted suicide would send the message that vulnerable people would be better off dead, especially the disabled who feel they are already discriminated against.
“This is terrifying… These laws, I believe, will put lives like mine – marginalised lives – at risk, and those risks will be fatal”, Carr warned in her BBC documentary on the subject.
Carr looked at Canada where assisted suicide was introduced in 2016. In 2023, there were 15,000 state-sanctioned assisted suicides – a “frightening” vision of the UK’s future if such a scheme is imposed on vulnerable patients, warned SPUC.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “A vote on assisted suicide legislation in the UK always seemed likely under a Labour Government, and it appears this will happen at some point in the next few years.
“However, the Prime Minister’s reluctance to commit to a specific timeframe might reflect a growing hesitance, not least because of the horror stories coming out of Canada in recent months, exposing the horrific reality of such legislation.
“The magnitude of such a vote should not be underestimated. Assisted suicide would radically change the ethic of medicine – compelling patients to take their own lives, as we see in Canada where assisted suicide now accounts for nearly 5% of all deaths.”
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