Ex-MP: The assisted suicide Bill is "irredeemably flawed"

Westminster assisted suicide legislation is "irredeemably flawed in principle and in detail" and should be rejected, a former MP has said.

Speaking after a report stage debate on Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill this afternoon, Caroline Ansell commented:

“Royal Colleges, disability organisations and domestic abuse campaigners are among a range of stakeholders issuing concerns about the assisted suicide Bill. These concerns were not answered or satisfied by today's proceedings.

"Parliament has heard that assisted suicide would lead to abuses against poor, disabled, and ethnic minority Britons, damage suicide prevention efforts, and see painful, protracted deaths due to the drugs proposed.

"It is both striking and alarming to consider that a Bill on renters' rights currently making its way through parliament has around 200 pages, whilst Ms Leadbeater's Bill to allow state assisted suicides consists of just 43.

"We urge MPs to vote this Bill down. It is irredeemably flawed in principle and in detail. Parliament should close the door to assisted suicide and focus on truly compassionate and life-affirming forms of support.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Caroline Ansell was the MP for Eastbourne until last year and is now Director of Advocacy and Policy at Christian social policy charity CARE.

Media enquiries: press@care.org.uk