Dame Esther Rantzen: Minister Mel Stride ‘not averse’ to new assisted dying vote

A Cabinet minister has stated he “would not be averse” to a brand new parliamentary debate on assisted dying after Dame Esther Rantzen referred to as for a free vote on the topic.

Dame Esther, 83, who has stage 4 lung most cancers, revealed earlier this week she had joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic.

The Childline founder and broadcaster stated throughout an interview with the BBC’s The Today Podcast she feels it’s “important that the law catches up with what the country wants”.

Her household might at present be prosecuted in the event that they have been to journey along with her to a Dignitas clinic.

A free vote means MPs and members of the House of Lords usually are not put underneath strain to vote a sure method by their social gathering.

Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a most jail sentence of 14 years. In Scotland, it isn’t a selected prison offence, however aiding the demise of somebody can go away an individual open to homicide or different fees.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary who was amongst 27 Conservative MPs to vote for a invoice to legalise assisted dying in 2015, stated he thought some MPs could also be questioning “whether this should be something we look at again”.

The 2015 invoice was defeated by 330 votes to 118.

Mr Stride instructed the BBC’s Today Programme: “The government has not decided to bring forward legislation, but if Parliament in some form or another decided that it wanted to have a fresh look at this, given it was some years ago that we last did so, that’s not something that I would be resistant to.”

He follows Housing Secretary Michael Gove, who stated on Tuesday he thought it was time for an additional parliamentary debate on the difficulty.

Read extra: MP says present legislation on assisted dying robbed him of time together with his father

‘Incredibly emotional’ difficulty

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins declined to provide her private view on whether or not there needs to be a vote on legalising assisted dying, however stated she recognised how “incredibly emotional” the difficulty is.

Asked if it was time for an additional vote, Ms Atkins instructed reporters: “This rightly is a matter for Parliament and for members of Parliament. It’s a matter of conscience.

“I really feel very honoured to be the secretary of state for well being, however I’m additionally very conscious of the duty that brings and so it should be for Parliament, it should be for particular person members of Parliament. And I should not be, I can not be, drawn alone views as a result of I would not in any method need to pre-empt that dialogue.”

‘Agonising to observe somebody you’re keen on undergo’

Dame Esther referred to as on MPs to consider their family members and the peaceable finish they would want them to have.

“It is agonising to watch someone you love suffer. Nobody wants that for their family. And we live in a day and age when it’s perfectly possible to offer people a gentle, peaceful death,” she instructed the PA information company on Wednesday.

The prime minister’s official spokesman has stated the federal government’s place has not modified so it stays a matter for parliament to resolve and “an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than government policy – as it was in 2015 when the House considered it and rejected making any changes”.

The Health and Social Care Committee is because of publish its report into assisted dying and assisted suicide in England and Wales, having launched an inquiry in December 2022 to look at totally different views within the debate.