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Sir Ed Davey has said he’s “sceptical” of the case for assisted dying in the UK, but agreed MPs must be given a free vote on the topic.
The Liberal Democrat leader, speaking from the birthday party’s annual conference in Brighton, told Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates MPs must “listen to all sides” of a debate and “deeply and carefully” bear in mind of the discontinuance end result.
He known as on individuals of the Commons “not to rush” a vote, and suggested that a option have to not be taken before Christmas.
MPs might maybe maybe maybe vote on whether to introduce assisted dying in the UK in the coming months after Downing Avenue confirmed it wouldn’t hinder a non-public member’s invoice on the topic.
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High Minister Sir Keir Starmer has beforehand said he would support a alternate in the regulation, while the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said she might maybe maybe maybe no longer make stronger a policy she described as a “dangerous position to be in”.
Sir Ed said he has “quite personal” concerns in regards to the “critical issue” of assisted dying, largely because of this of of his possess mother’s war with bone most cancers.
He said: “My concerns are both quite personal. I asked my mother as a teenager when she was dying of bone cancer. And I saw someone with a very painful disease.”
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The Liberal Democrat leader said that through nursing and palliative care “she was able to enjoy life and be with us”.
One by one, Sir Ed has concerns in regards to the strain legalising assisted dying might maybe maybe maybe space on aged of us.
He said this wouldn’t “necessarily” be from family, but “from the inside, internally, which they may not express”.
Sir Ed added: “A situation where healthy people might think they are a burden and then proceed with this, that is a huge worry.”
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Despite his views on the topic of assisted dying, Sir Ed pressured that the Liberal Democrats are “very open” to a debate, which he said must discontinuance in a “free vote”.
He said: “It will take me to a lot to shift me, but I think we need to debate this. Maybe there are new treatments, new safeguards. I’m open to listening to the debate. But I do come to it as a sceptic for the reasons I’ve described.”
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with a most reformatory sentence of 14 years.
In Scotland, it is not a deliver felony offence but helping the loss of life of any individual can leave a person originate to being charged with waste or other offences.
A Liberal Democrat MSP, Liam McArthur, is main efforts to alternate the regulation in Scotland with a non-public member’s invoice on the topic, regardless of the birthday party leader’s possess reluctance.
The topic came support to prominence earlier this year after journalist and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen published she had signed as much as the assisted dying health center, Dignitas, because of this of her stage four lung most cancers.
She said below modern UK regulation, her family might maybe maybe maybe be left in ache of prosecution in the event that they helped her to dash to Zurich, where assisted dying is proper, one thing she branded “not right” and “not ethical”.
However these that oppose a alternate warned it might maybe well maybe maybe effect strain on susceptible of us to full their lives for fear of being a burden on others, and argued the disabled, aged, ill or miserable might maybe maybe maybe be in particular in ache.
