Support Waning for Assisted Suicide Bill Among UK MPs
A recent study by Whitestone Insight reveals a decline in parliamentary backing for the assisted suicide bill, marking a shift even among MPs who supported it in the previous year.
The House of Lords blocked the bill after it passed in the House of Commons last year. However, new data suggests that if the bill were reintroduced, only 40% of MPs would back it.
Out of 102 MPs surveyed, nearly half (49%) expressed concerns that legalising assisted suicide might exert undue pressure on elderly and disabled individuals, echoing fears commonly voiced by campaigners.
Advocates for the bill, like Lord Falconer, have proposed the use of the Parliament Act to push the bill through if the House of Lords rejects or delays it. But Whitestone’s findings indicate that a majority of MPs (61%) respect the Lords’ right to block the bill, which wasn’t part of Labour’s manifesto.
The reduced support seems to be influenced by objections from medical and disability advocacy groups, with over half (58%) of MPs acknowledging these influences on their stance.
Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, stated, “This poll blows apart the lie that the House of Commons is both settled and supportive of legalising assisted suicide. Quite the contrary, it shows that even among some previously supportive MPs there was a recognition that the Bill was fundamentally unsafe and deeply flawed.”
He added, “These findings, along with other polling we have carried out, prove that the more people hear about assisted suicide and euthanasia, or the problems within this particular Bill, the less likely they are to support it.”
Dr Macdonald stressed the importance of addressing issues like coercion and the lack of conscientious objection options, urging MPs to focus on improving access to quality healthcare. “We need more care not killing,” he concluded. “Access to palliative care and support should never depend on either your postcode or bank balance.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
