I am relieved and overjoyed by the historic vote on assisted dying in the House of Commons today. The road has been long and hard, and I am very aware that many others have been on that journey since long before I even became an MP. The question of whether to offer choice to people at the end of their lives was first raised in parliament in 1936 – almost a century ago.
Since then, terminally ill people have pleaded repeatedly with MPs to heed their simple wish to have control and autonomy at the end of their lives. A courageous few have taken their cases to the courts, even while they confronted the prospect of their own imminent and inevitable deaths. The judges said it was for parliament to decide. Now, at last, the House of Commons has responded, and responded decisively to recognise the justice of their cause.
While taking this bill through its Commons stages, I felt the burden of their anguish and that of those who are courageously and respectfully asking that their own death should be a good one, at a time of their choosing. It was for them that I and my colleagues took so much time and trouble to ensure that we put before parliament legislation that was fit for purpose while protecting everybody, but especially the most vulnerable in society, from any risk of coercion or pressure.
Undertaking that task through the private member’s bill process has not been straightforward. But that is how conscience issues are decided in our democracy. In doing so I have been fortunate to benefit from the expertise of excellent and dedicated government officials, lawyers and parliamentary draughtsmen – the foot soldiers of our democracy whose contributions often go unnoticed. The government is rightly neutral, but its hard work helped give me the confidence that the bill that now goes on to the House of Lords for further consideration is the best it possibly could be.
I have also been supported by MPs across the political divides in the House of Commons and that has been a hugely rewarding experience. It proved once again that on this issue, like so many others, it is possible to work with political opponents and that, in the words of my sister, Jo Cox, “We have far more in common … than that which divides us.”
I believe that by working together with a shared commitment not just to get this reform through, but to do it carefully, responsibly and openly, we have done the job our constituents send us to Westminster to do. When other political arguments that we have day in and day out are long forgotten, this parliament will be remembered for many years to come for the decision we have made. And it is my genuine belief that in that time the controversy over this measure will fade, just as it has in other countries that took this step long before us. And just as it has over issues that were once fiercely contested but are now accepted as sensible and fair, such as equal marriage or a woman’s right to choose.
If this bill finally becomes law later this year it will still take some years to implement, although I hope that delay will be as short as possible. It will come too late for many, including some of those I have met along this journey. Their courage is extraordinary and their selflessness is remarkable. They say to me: “I may not get the death of my choice, but if others coming later are spared the suffering and indignity of a painful death then it will be worthwhile.”
Their voices have finally been heard. The journey is not yet over but the end is in sight. I would have been heartbroken if the vote had gone the other way. Not for me and my team and all those who have worked so hard on this bill, but for those whose lives would have once more been filled with despair and trepidation.
I recall the words of Desmond Tutu almost a decade ago when he said: “Just as I have argued firmly for compassion and fairness in life, I believe that terminally ill people should be treated with the same compassion and fairness when it comes to their deaths.” It has taken a long time – too long – for us in this country to heed those words but heed them we have, and I believe this will be remembered as a proud day for parliament and a day of hope for the future.
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Kim Leadbeater is Labour MP for Spen Valley
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