Mixed views but overall support for change to assisted dying law in Liverpool city centre

Tomorrow, MPs will begin debating a proposed law which would give terminally ill people the right to end their lives at a time of their choosing. Currently, the law prevents people from asking for medical assistance to help them die.

It is a deeply emotive and contentious issue. Over the past few weeks, people on either side of the debate have put forward passionate arguments for or against a change to the law. Those in a favour of allowing assisted dying argue that people who are terminally ill or suffering from life-limiting illnesses should be given the choice to end their lives.

Esther Rantzen, a high profile advocate for change, said the current law is "cruel". Esther, who is suffering from terminal lung cancer, told the BBC: "All I'm asking for is that we be given the dignity of choice. If I decide that my own life is not worth living, please may I ask for help to die?"

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Those who oppose a change to the law, meanwhile, are concerned people might be pressured to end their lives if they feel they are a burden on the NHS. Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson said the bill would "open the door" for disabled people to view assisted dying as their "best option".

On the streets of Liverpool, we found a range of views, but the vast majority of the people we spoke to were in favour of a change to the law. Ex-nurse Lisa Leather is a passionate advocate for assisted dying. Lisa told the ECHO: "I absolutely support the bill. Having worked within palliative care, and seen how people's deaths can sometimes be quite traumatic, not peaceful, I think by allowing this, people can make the choice.

"They can have an advanced care plan in place, whereby they've got that option. The patient - the person, the individual - knows when the time is right, and when they do that, it is a much more peaceful, controlled way of dying. They can have a good death within the community, or in hospital - wherever they choose to do it."

Lisa thinks it's better for patients to have options when they are nearing the end of their lives. "Options are great for everything," she said. "Whatever choice you make, if you've got an informed decision, and an informed choice, it's then going to benefit the individual who's making that decision, and who's got that choice as well."

Many shoppers in Liverpool city centre agreed with Lisa. One man told us: "I think people should have the right to choose. You should be able to die with dignity. If you're going to be in pain, or it's extended, then you should be allowed to shorten it if you want to." Another man added: "I definitely support the bill. It's up to them, isn't it? If they're suffering, let them go and that's it."

A number of people cited the difficulty and inconvenience of travelling to another country to get medical help to die. There have been numerous examples of terminally ill people having to travel to places like Switzerland for assistance. Hundreds of Brits have travelled to the country's Dignitas facility since it began operating in 1998.

One woman in Liverpool city centre said she thought assisted dying should be a "personal choice". She said: "You shouldn't have to go to another country if that's something you want to do. It should be an option to stay with your family in this country."

However, not everyone agreed. One man told us: "I disagree with ending life. Life's too short anyway, and life is precious. I feel that the bill would need to be thought through a little bit more before they go ahead with it.

"There are alternatives aren't there? There are places to go in Switzerland. I don't know if eventually Scotland might decide to do it. And the Isle of Man were thinking about it. We have to listen to the debates and decide."

A parliamentary debate on the bill will take place tomorrow, November 29. MPs have been given a free vote, which means they can choose to vote whichever way their conscience decides, rather than being whipped to follow party instructions. In 2015, MPs voted to reject proposed changes to the law on assisted dying by 330 votes to 118.

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