Yahoo News North Northumberland MP David Smith confirms he will vote against assisted dying bill
A Northumberland MP has confirmed he will not be backing landmark legislation that would legalise assisted dying in the UK.
A bill is set to be debated in Parliament on November 29 - the first time the controversial issue has been voted on in the House of Commons in nearly ten years. Supporters have long campaigned that individuals with terminal illnesses should have the right to end their suffering on their own terms.
However, North Northumberland MP David Smith has raised concerns about the safeguards in the bill to stop "unjust, unnecessary and premature deaths". The bill is being brought by Mr Smith's fellow Labour MP Kim Leadbeater - but MPs will have a free vote on the issue, meaning their party cannot tell them who to vote.
In a statement, Mr Smith wrote: "I have received and considered heartfelt correspondence from both sides of the argument. MPs will decide how to vote based on personal conscience alone.
"I understand that some people view assisted dying as a compassionate act that would help people experiencing severe suffering at the end of their life. I respect these motivations.
"However, I believe there is no legislation on this issue that can provide safeguards sufficient to stop unjust, unnecessary and premature deaths. Therefore I will be voting against legalising assisted dying.
"There are already warnings from clinicians that this law will increase the likelihood of some people with life-limiting medical conditions or disabilities being pressured by unscrupulous family members to end their lives. Furthermore, the reality is that some people - even in living homes and families - will opt to die early because they feel that they are a burden, whether to their families or to society at large."
Mr Smith pointed to cases in other countries that suggested the legal parameters could later be expanded. He cited the case of an adult in Belgium suffering from depression and a report in Canada raising concerns that people were receiving lethal injections due to a lack of access to support.
He added: "An assisted dying law would also subtly shift the role of the NHS and the state from being a protector of life to an enabler of death. It is easy to see how decisions of life and death cold quickly be monetised, with all the pressure on frail individuals that this can entail.
"In the UK, we have some of the best palliative and end of life care in the world. However, underfunding has led to gaps: one in four people don't get the end-of-life care and support they need.
"As a country, we need to do more to provide the palliative care that so many of our loved ones need. That is where I believe we should focus our energy and resources in this important debate."
The debate on November 29 will mark the first time since 2015 that the issue has been voted on in parliament. At that time, a bill which would have allowed assisted dying for some adults was rejected by 330 votes to 118.
However, the issue has been propelled into the spotlight following campaigning from Dame Esther Rantzen, who has argued people should have choice over their deaths after being diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
