Two years ago, I was elected to the House of Commons during a time when the nation was yearning for change and looking to its representatives to address long-ignored critical issues. As the anticipated change did not materialize swiftly, public trust in politics began to wane once again. We now face a pivotal opportunity to demonstrate our ability to meet the expectations of the public.
The topic of assisted dying was not included in my election manifesto, nor should it have been. This sensitive issue falls within the realm of personal conscience, allowing individual Members of Parliament to make their own decisions. It is natural for diverse opinions to exist across all political parties; however, there has been longstanding support for assisted dying among the public. Independent polling consistently indicates that around 75% of citizens favor this option. The most recent British Social Attitudes survey from the National Centre for Social Research confirms a sustained high level of public backing for legislative reform to permit assisted dying under specific conditions.
After thorough consideration, Members of Parliament voted to endorse the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill during the previous session. A significant majority of Labour MPs supported it, as did their counterparts in the Liberal Democrats. The Green Party also voiced unanimous support. This bill represents the most urgent and progressive reform of the current parliament. Nevertheless, it faced obstruction in the House of Lords earlier this year from a small group of peers, including former Conservative ministers like Thérèse Coffey and Mark Harper.
This Friday, I will urge my fellow MPs to return the bill to the House of Lords. They will have the opportunity to amend it if they wish, as is customary with any legislation. If the House of Commons consents to those amendments, that would be acceptable. However, it is imperative that the will of the elected chamber is not thwarted a second time.
I am not reigniting divisions within the Labour Party or Parliament, as some have suggested. On the contrary, MPs have already made their stance clear. In a democratic system, we resolve our differences through voting. Previously, opposition in the House of Lords blocked a vote on the bill’s provisions.
The electorate entrusted us with the responsibility to address significant issues that concern them, instead of continually postponing them. Following a rocky beginning, this parliament has an opportunity to prove its capacity to deliver results; we must not shy away from our duties and strive to restore the public’s confidence in the democratic framework.
Other crucial social changes, such as women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights, faced intense debate at their inception. However, once enacted, they were quickly embraced and became non-controversial. It is time for us to extend the same consideration to terminally ill individuals, granting them the choice to have a say in the circumstances of their deaths. This is a commitment we owe to them, as well as to the overwhelming majority of voters who support this cause, and we must not allow a small group of unelected peers to obstruct their rights.
Lauren Edwards serves as the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood and has reintroduced the terminally ill adults bill in Parliament.
