It is barely four years since MPs rejected assisted suicide by a massive 330-118, after months of consultation and briefing, and hours of informed and passionate debate. The General Election on Thursday 12 December, however, will be the second since that September 2015 vote, and the new House of Commons will be just that.
The charity Right to Life has developed a webpage where you can quickly and easily ask your candidate to pledge to oppose the introduction of assisted suicide and support palliative care at the end of life. Please take a few minutes to take part, contact you candidates, and please share the link with friends: righttolife.org.uk/endoflife
If your candidates include someone who was previously an MP, you can check whether they:
- Spoke and/or vote in 2015 Commons assisted suicide debate
- Spoke in the 2019 Commons assisted suicide debate
No party has made a manifesto commitment to legislate for assisted suicide, although the Liberal Democrats retain such a commitment as party policy and their manifesto pledges 'more choice at the end of life', a phrase frequently used euphemistically to cover assisted suicide (for example, in the Scottish and New Zealand Parliaments). Party manifestos do contain pledges on the essential issues of health, social care and support for people with disabilities.
- Conservative / Labour / Liberal Democrat / Brexit / Green
- (Health and social care are devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the question of assisted suicide is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.)
© Image copyright of Stuart Boreham and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence
