Prof Alison Wakefield

@JennyFleming9 @Number10cat @No10Cat Awww lookatim!

Wishing a happy Christmas to all my friends around the world. Please reply with your pictures of cats (and lesser pets) joining in the festivities

@CalumMillerLD Thank you

Hundreds of constituents have written to me, expressing their views on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. I’ve written to them to explain the reasons for my voting decision:

@GlasgowPam Well done

As a disabled person I find the potential consequences of the assisted dying bill terrifying. I have written to my MP colleagues to ask them to vote against it tomorrow. This is the letter I wrote👇

@PauletteHamilto Thank you

This Friday, I will be voting against the Assisted Dying Bill. Below, I have outlined the reasons for my decision 👇🏿

@TahirAliMP Ridiculous, and downright shocking from a Labour MP

During PMQs today, I asked the Prime Minister to introduce measures to prohibit desecration of religious texts and targeted vilification of all the prophets of the Abrahamic faiths. As November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month, it is vital the Government takes clear and measurable steps to prevent acts that fuel hatred in society.

@AndyMcDonaldMP Thank you

Today I wrote to constituents regarding the vote on the Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. My thoughts can be read here - andymcdonaldmp.org/uncategorised/…

@darrenpaffey Thank you

While I know that some people will disagree with me, I hope this reassures you that I have reached a carefully considered decision and been open about my views. (9/9)

Ahead of this week’s vote on the Assisted Dying Bill, I’d like to thank everyone who has written or spoken to me about this important and sensitive issue. I want to be open with my constituents about how I will vote and the reasons for my decision. 👇 🧵(1/9)

@NazShahBfd Excellent letter, thank you

I have decided to vote against the Assisted Dying Bill. After carefully considering all views on this complex issue, I’ve outlined my reasoning in my letter. My focus remains on ensuring the best care for everyone. #AssistedDyingBill

@ChiOnwurah Thank you

My statement on how I will be voting on the Assisted Dying Bill.

@JamesFrith Thank you

#AssistedDyingBill On Friday, Parliament will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a matter of immense moral and profound importance. I came into politics to wrestle with the serious stuff. The big issues. Of life, of living and of dying. Those of you familiar with my views and work to date will already have a sense of my instinct on this. After serious reflection, detailed consideration of the bill, and extensive engagement with experts and constituents, I have decided that I will vote against assisted suicide in this Bill. As someone who has long championed improved palliative and hospice care, I firmly believe that we must do more to support those facing the end of their lives. Palliative care is a vital but undervalued aspect of our healthcare system, and its improvement should be central to our national conversations on terminal illness and end-of-life care. In my view, the availability of assisted dying/suicide highlights broader failures in this area, as some may feel or be made to think, it is their only option to manage suffering. While I have listened carefully to the arguments in favour of the bill, I remain deeply concerned about the potential risks. In particular vulnerable groups and the thousands of people betrayed before now despite having rights or safeguards in place across our state. If great swathes of people say they feel unseen or underserved, I am not prepared to ignore their testimony to me on this. I am not convinced that the safeguards proposed are sufficient to prevent coercion, whether external or self-imposed. As well as the possibility that individuals might feel a burden to their families or society, leading them to make this irreversible choice, cannot be ignored. This decision has been one of the most challenging I have faced as an MP. It is a free vote, and ultimately, my conscience and own detailed analysis guides me. I respect the sincerity of those who advocate for this bill, and want the choice of when to die, as they’ve said. However I cannot, in good faith, support legislation that I believe carries such significant risks. I’m fully committed to continuing to engage on this, whatever the outcome of Friday’s vote. If the bill passes, I’ll work tirelessly to advocate for amendments that strengthen safeguards and address the concerns there are. I will ensure that this debate provokes a broader societal conversation about how we approach dying well, improving palliative care, and addressing end-of-life care within our NHS and society. Thank you everyone who attended my event on assisted dying and those who have shared their personal experiences with me. These conversations have been invaluable and have reinforced my belief that we must prioritise compassionate and comprehensive care for all terminally ill individuals. As we approach this pivotal vote, I remain committed to open and respectful dialogue with everyone. While I understand that my position may disappoint some, I hope you will know the thoughtfulness and integrity behind my decision.

@Chris_EvansMP Thank you

I want to thank everyone who has contacted me regarding Friday's vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. I will be voting against the bill for the reasons set out in my statement below:

@danny__kruger Well done

On the religion of the Assisted Suicide campaign: autonomy uber alles. economist.com/by-invitation/…

@pauljholmes Thank you

I will be voting against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday. My full reasoning is below, an incredibly hard decision and one I have taken very seriously and genuinely.

@Abtisam_Mohamed Thank you

As your MP, I have sought to keep an open mind on the issue of assisted dying for the terminally ill. I attended numerous workshops with experts on both sides & consulted my constituents & family, leading me to my final decision to vote against the Bill in any further readings.

@chiefrabbi Thank you

As MPs prepare to vote on whether to legalise “Assisted Dying”, I have today written to all Members of Parliament to set out my concerns. This is what I said: As a Rabbi, I have often been entrusted with the task of offering some measure of comfort to patients and their loved ones in the final moments of their lives. Yet, invariably, I find that I am the one who leaves feeling deeply inspired. In those moving moments, when every act and every word is so precious, I have encountered some of the most extraordinary examples of grace and dignity. The pursuit of that dignity is of course a familiar theme in the campaign for “Assisted Dying,” which, as you know, now finds its expression in the Terminally Ill Adults Private Member’s Bill, which receives its second reading this Friday. Though I do not believe that the latter should be considered a suitable route to the former, I would like to acknowledge at the outset that the quest to bring peace to those who are suffering unimaginable pain is a noble one, undoubtedly rooted in compassion and empathy. Though I fundamentally differ with the proponents of this Bill, I have nothing but respect for the deep humanity which has clearly motivated them. In our daily prayers, Jews declare our belief that the soul given to us by God is pure, that He instils it within us, and that eventually He will take it from us at the right time. We believe that life is a sacred gift bestowed upon us by God, and that it should always be treasured as such. Yet, I readily acknowledge Lord Falconer’s recent assertion that a minority religious perspective should not be imposed on others. In my view, this is an issue which transcends the concerns of faith communities. It presents a fundamental moral challenge to our society which I believe should trouble people of all faiths and none. Whilst of course, I would not presume to dictate to a person suffering unbearable pain at the end of their life, ahead of the Parliamentary debate about a Bill which could be among the most consequential of our time, I feel a moral obligation to express deep concerns about its implications. The granting of a right to end one’s own life, would simultaneously impose a new and immeasurable pressure upon terminal patients, who are already extremely vulnerable. Placing before a person the ultimate choice between life and death calls for a decision which simply cannot be protected against all manner of external influences, regardless of the proposed safeguards. Data from the state of Oregon in the United States, which is often vaunted as a paragon of how assisted dying can work well, consistently shows that nearly half of terminally ill patients who have opted to end their life, cite the encumbrance upon their friends and family as one of their reasons. The emotional or practical strain that we place on those around us would never be considered a factor in determining the value of our lives in any other context and we must not allow it to be so in the case of a terminal patient. In Belgium and the Netherlands, where assisted dying has been legal for some time, it did not take long for “mental anguish” to become considered a legal and legitimate cause for assisted dying. Soon after that, it became legal to end the lives of children who are too young to fully comprehend what is happening to them. It is hard to hear that and not to conclude that the line between dying and killing is becoming blurred. I know how much has been invested in attempts to build protections into the Bill against this ‘slippery slope’. But developments in other countries show that once the law itself concedes that actively taking a person’s life is justifiable, we cross a moral Rubicon, beyond which new red lines can be easily erased and redrawn multiple times. The “medicalisation” of death, in which assisted dying becomes just another treatment option available to a patient, represents a major paradigm shift in the values that underpin our society. The purpose of Medicine is, and has always been, to heal and ease pain – never to end life. The effect of this Bill would be to alter the ethical landscape in which doctors work forever, even for those who might choose to opt out. It is surely not inconceivable that, in the course of time, financial and capacity constraints within the health system could become relevant considerations, thus turning life into a commodity like any other. The burden that this Bill would place on our most vulnerable patients, on their families and on medical staff, as well as the profound effect on the conscience of those left behind, is surely too high a price to pay. The devastating evidence from other countries is clear: when we numb, or remove altogether, our reverence for the precious gift of life itself, we withdraw from a moral standard to which we will never return. Dame Cicely Saunders wisely said, “You don’t have to kill the patient in order to kill the pain”. Indeed, I am told that in most instances, it would be possible to remove end-of-life suffering with high-quality palliative care but currently, according to a recent report, around 100,000 people in the UK die each year without receiving the end-of-life care that they need. Surely, a campaign for universal access to the best possible palliative care should be the way forward. Over the years, I have heard countless heart-rending stories of those desperate to take control of the end of their lives and to end their suffering by ending their lives. No decent person could fail to be moved by their experiences. Yet, my appeal to you is on behalf of those whose stories will never be heard – those who would never let it be known, that if not for the emotional or financial burden they felt they had become, they might just choose life.

@johnadgrady Thank you

After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against the Assisted Dying bill at second reading. This is not a decision I have made lightly, and I respect there are different views on this important topic. I explain my reasons in detail in the attached note.

@PreetKGillMP @edgbastonCLP @TheBMA @harbornelabour @B31Voices @LabourList @soniasodha Thank you

Why I am voting against the Assisted Dying bill 👇

@jon_trickett Thank you

Painful experiences as well as uplifting ones with loved ones and friends in recent years have led me to change my mind on assisted dying. I will not vote for the proposed law.

Is there a way to fix the criminal justice system? At 12.00pm, Neil Basu, Dr Karen Schucan Bird, @PenelopeGibbs2, Lord Timpson OBE @JamesTCobbler, @cassia_rowland will discuss how to address the challenges in the criminal justice system Register to watch instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/public-s…

@yuanyi_z Well done

I was happy to sign this very important letter in today's Observer. Its signatories include senior lawyers and legal academics across the political spectrum, some of whom seldom agree with each other, but agree about the dangers of legalising assisted suicide.