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Legalising assisted dying: Please urge your MP to consider the implications for seriously ill children and young people

Recently, it has been announced that Kim Leadbeater MP will use her Private Members Bill to introduce proposals to give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to choose to end their life. This new Bill will give MPs an opportunity to debate this issue for the first time since 2015.

Assisted dying is a deeply complex issue that raises profound ethical and moral questions. It also evokes strong emotions across all parts of society, especially among families, professionals, and those living with serious illness.

At Together for Short Lives, we do not have a single agreed view about the ethical or moral philosophical basis for assisted dying or assisted suicide. We represent those who support the general purpose, some who oppose it and some who are uncertain.

However, if assisted dying were to be legalised, there would be significant implications for seriously ill children, young people, their families, and the professionals who provide care and support.

Why your voice matters

As MPs prepare to debate new legislation on assisted dying, it’s crucial that they fully consider the unique needs and circumstances of seriously ill children and young people. With many differences between adults and children, both physically and developmentally, it is vital that Leadbeater’s Bill recognises the implications that could arise for children and young people and appropriately accounts for them.

That’s why we’re asking you to write to your MP, encouraging them to ensure that the implications for seriously ill children and young people are fully considered and that appropriate safeguards are put in place where necessary.

Not only should these implications be recognised and accounted for, but it must also be acknowledged that access to high quality palliative care for children and young people depends on where they live.

We cannot allow a scenario in which young adults choose an assisted death because they are unable to access the palliative care they need, when and where they need it.

Key considerations for seriously ill children and young people

If assisted dying were to be legalised, legislation must recognise and address several key considerations to protect seriously ill children and young people:

  • Professional competencies: Given the differences between children and adults, both physically and developmentally, providers providing these services would need specific competencies in children and young people.
  • Medicines: Jurisdictions would need to specify which medicines could be prescribed for the assisted death, and determine the form and manner in which they should be administered.
  • Competence, capacity, and parental responsibility: Complex questions on whether parents or children can request an assisted death, and how to assess best interests, would need addressing.
  • Service provision: It would need to be clarified whether assisted dying would operate as a specialist service and whether it would be part of the NHS. Clarity would also be required on whether palliative care provider organisations can opt-out without legal consequences.
  • Funding and conscientious objection: Providers’ rights to conscientiously object must be protected and funding should not depend on offering assisted dying.

Take action: Write to your MP

As MPs prepare to debate Kim Leadbeater’s Bill on assisted dying, now is the time to make your voice heard. Please write to your MP, asking them to carefully consider the implications for seriously ill children and young people. They need to ensure that any legislation introduced includes appropriate safeguards, protects the best interests of children, and guarantees access to palliative care across the UK.

Together, we can ensure that any laws passed take full account of the needs of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society.

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