Northern Ireland MPs share their thoughts ahead of assisted dying vote

Northern Ireland's MPs have been sharing their thoughts on the Assisted Dying Bill ahead of a vote in Parliament on Friday.

The private members bill would see terminally ill people in England and Wales have the ability to opt for an assisted death in certain circumstances.

While in Northern Ireland, the issue is devolved, MPs from here have strongly spoken out against the bill with only the SDLP's Colum Eastwood speaking in favour of it to date and his party leader Claire Hanna is yet to decide how she will vote on the issue.

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Cara Lockhart-DUP

Speaking ahead of the vote, the DUP's Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has said that the focus of our National Health Service must be to protect life.

“Many of those who have indicated support for this bill do so because they believe it is a compassionate alternative to the great suffering faced by many people towards the end of their life. A desire to reduce suffering must motivate everyone, but without properly addressing issues in palliative care it is wrong to press people towards ending their lives," she said.

"Our Health Service must be focused on protecting life, and on protecting the vulnerable. It is a reality that in every case where assisted suicide has been introduced elsewhere, its scope has widened beyond the often, narrow focus of its initial introduction. It will be those who are most marginalised and who have the fewest resources who are likely to feel most pressure to remove the ‘burden’ they may feel they have become.

"The safeguards included within the bill, whilst bureaucratic and placing a significant burden on the legal system, lack detail on how they will make a real difference to prevent the kind of coercion or pressure which will inevitably form part of the system.

"It is tempting to portray Friday’s vote as somehow bringing a line under this issue. If MPs decide to back the legislation there can be no doubt however that it will actually be the start of a very long process over years and even decades that will see many more people ending their life rather than receiving the care they deserve.”

JIm Allister- TUV

TUV's North Antrim MP Jim Allister said that he was "appalled" by the contents of the bill.

“Should this proposal complete its journey through the parliamentary process, we will have the ludicrous situation where we have charities and government campaigning against suicide and the heartache it brings to families in some cases while in other cases actively facilitating it if not promoting it," he said.

“This issue raises a plethora of moral issues including the prospect of those who are ill, particularly if they are elderly, coming under pressure to end their lives. Such legislation has the potential to change the culture of society so that the elderly see themselves as a burden.

“Should assisted suicide be introduced in the UK I believe there is a very real risk that what was introduced supposedly as providing people with a choice will become an expectation. Tellingly, even co-sponsors of the Bill are unable to tell us how a judgement can be made on whether someone has been coerced into availing of the provisions of the Bill. In light of the significant financial windfall that death brings to some people this is a most serious issue.

“Significantly, those pushing for change have given no thought to the impact it will have on the NHS. As the Health Secretary has observed, “I would hate for people to opt for assisted dying because they think they are saving someone somewhere – money, whether that’s relatives of the NHS”. I welcome the fact that he has ordered a review of the costs of the proposals.

“Labour, having given us a cradle to grave NHS, should not allow one of their backbenchers to change this to a policy of cradle to old age."

Sorcha Eastwood- Alliance Party

The Alliance Party MP for Lagan Valley, Sorcha Eastwood, whose husband has been undergoing treatment for a rare form of blood cancer, took to social media to explain her decision to vote against the bill which is a conscious issue for her party.

"I have been lobbied strongly by doctors, consultants, disability groups and thousands of people across Lagan Valley to oppose this and I will do so," she said.

"On a personal level, I have huge concerns that palliative care is not adequately funded and many hospices are reliant on charity fundraising. Palliative care needs to be funded properly and staffing also needs to reflect this.

"I also have concerns about the competence of the bill and how it is drafted- it is not something I could support at second reading thinking it could successfully be amended at committee stage. I think the bill is flawed and unclear and with only 5 hours of a debate, I regard this as an inadequate level of scrutiny.

"I appreciate there are many views on this difficult and highly emotive issue that is literally life and death and I have given a lot of thought to it over the last months- this is not a decision I take lightly, but I respect all views on this and ask that my own view be respected too."

The UUP's Robin Swann and independent MP Alex Easton have also indicated that they will vote against the bill on Friday.

Colum Eastwood- SDLP

Meanwhile, Colum Eastwood took to social media to explain why he will be voting in favour.

"This is a really tough issue and I know people have strong views because almost every family has a direct experience of losing a loved one in difficult circumstances," he said.

"Most of us will be fortunate enough to lead a full life and have a peaceful passing. At the end of your days, there's not much more you can hope for. But it's a really cruel reality that some people, through circumstance or illness, live in fear of a bad death spending their final months in pain, confusion or losing the ability to interact with their loved ones at all.

"I've spoken to lots of families who've been in this situation and lots of people with conditions worried about the end of their life. Some have been supportive of assisted dying and some have been opposed. I'm listening to everyone because I know how important this is.

"It's almost impossible to put yourself in the shoes of someone who's facing that situation. No one wants to hasten anyone's death - I'm not cheerleading for a change in the law and I don't know anyone who is. But the people I've spoken to have told me they want to preserve some dignity in their passing. They want to avoid months of physical and emotional pain and they don't want to lose who they are in their final months."

The Foyle MP said that while he believes that, while most people will never even have to think about this, the people that do deserve the chance to choose not to go through that pain.

"The bill as written has a lot of safeguards to make sure it only applies to people with a terminal six month diagnosis, it cannot be used in cases of mental illness or disability, it requires medical assessments by two independent doctors, a high court application to rule out coercion, a period of reflection followed by a further medical assessment and a final declaration by the individual. There may be more safeguards that need built in and I'm very open to hearing them.

"This is the first vote on the issue and there will be months of debate to follow with loads of opportunities to amend the bill to make it better - I want to hear from people with suggestions about how we can do that.

"I know that not everyone will agree with me, and I know that some people will be vocal about it. I am listening to their concerns, genuinely and honestly. But I hope that this legislation will give people in the worst circumstances the freedom to choose what is right for them and, ultimately, allow them to face their passing with peace."

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