‘People should die naturally’ – mixed views on assisted dying debate

MPs agreed this week to back a bill that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for some terminally ill adults. The BBC visited the Spen Valley constituency of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the bill, to hear what local people thought of the historic vote.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was approved with a majority of 23 votes, would allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get medical assistance to end their own lives – if eligible.

It will now go to the Lords, where it is likely to face further scrutiny.

Anne-Marie, 52, does not support the bill.

“People should be born and they should die naturally,” she said.

“When you get to the end of your life and you’re in so much pain, a bit like I am, you have days where you wish you weren’t here and then you have days when you wish you were.

“I don’t think it’s right that people should end their own lives.”

Leadbeater told the BBC she was “over the moon” after the bill was backed by 314 votes to 291.

“I know what this means for terminally ill people and their loved ones,” she said.

This week also marks nine years since the murder of Leadbeater’s sister, Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, making it a “particularly emotional week” for her.

She added: “Jo used to say if good people don’t step forward and come into politics then what do we end up with?

“And even though some of us feel quite out of place in this place at times, we are here to make a difference and we’re here to make positive change that society has asked us to do.”

Adam Bishop, 35, said he was “all for it”.

“I have an auntie at the moment who’s got advanced Alzheimer’s, so I’m seeing her steady decline and how week to week she’s getting worse and worse,” he said.

“I know she’ll probably never be able to agree to that, but obviously it’s a step in the right direction for others.”

Mr Bishop said people should not have to suffer.

“I do believe with your own life, you should be given the choice when you want to end it and in a dignified way,” he added.

Critics have argued the bill risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death, something Phoenix Grey is also concerned about.

The 38-year-old from Batley said his support would depend on the rules and regulations put in place to protect people.

“It’s going to have to be really strict,” he said.

“It’s to make sure they’re 100% sure, then to give them time once they’ve made that decision to come back later down the line.

“If they still think it’s the right decision only then can it go ahead.”

Before the vote, the House of Commons spent more than three hours debating the general principles of the bill.

Sandra Benita Althwaite, 68, said it felt “right” that people could decide to end their lives.

“It’s making me cry because, you know, the thought that anybody’s become so upset or in a position where they just want to be at peace,” she said.

“It’s everybody’s right to do what they want with their body now or in the future.”

MPs were allowed a free vote on the bill, meaning they did not have to follow a party policy.

If approved by the House of Lords, ministers would have a maximum of four years to implement the measures, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying becomes available.