Assisted dying: please write to your MP if they are on the bill committee
At Westminster, the crucial committee stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is now underway. If passed by Parliament, the bill will legalise a form of assisted dying for adults over the age of 18 in England.
23 MPs are sitting on the committee and have begun to table amendments to the bill, which they will debate and vote on during the meetings. You can find out who the committee members are and more details about this stage of the bill here.
Why do we need to speak to committee members?
Together for Short Lives does 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, we believe that, if Parliament legalises assisted dying for adults aged 18 and over, it will have significant implications for seriously ill young people, their families, and the professionals and services that support them. We believe that the bill should be improved and have published a series of amendments that we would like the committee to make.
Why is your voice so important?
By doing so, you and your MP could help to improve the bill by making it safer for young terminally ill adults – and better prepare families of terminally ill young people, professionals and services with the skills, knowledge and guidance they will need to hold difficult conversations about end of life choices if an assisted death was available.
Thank you – it is only with your support that we can make sure the voices of seriously ill children and their families are heard by those in power.