Thank you to the constituents who have written to me recently with their thoughts on this piece of legislation. I have read every letter and email, and assure you that your views, beliefs and experiences have formed part of my considerations.
I would also like to thank the constituents who have contacted me about this issue since I was first elected in 2015. I have met several families over the years who have wanted to share their very difficult and emotive experiences with me. I thank you sincerely for this insight into your personal grief and anguish; your stories have stayed with me and have also formed part of my considerations.
I have attended evidence sessions by campaigners for both sides of the debate, including Liz Carr and Rebecca Gillanders, and read the campaigns’ documentation carefully. I am struck by how thoughtful and thought-provoking their work has been and thank both campaigns for the way in which this discussion has been conducted.
I also wanted to listen to the debate today in Parliament. This is, after all, why we have debates as part of the legislative process - to question, to justify, to persuade. I wanted to see how questions raised about the legislation would be addressed by those who support it, as well as how the challenges of maintaining the status quo would be answered by those who oppose it.
This was the second reading of the Bill which is when MPs decide whether the contents of a Bill should continue to be debated or stopped in its tracks. It does not mean the Bill becomes law today or that it will inevitably become law: there is more scrutiny - and the power to stop the Bill - in future stages.
Having considered all of these factors, and that a significant proportion of the public want to have this national conversation, I have concluded that this debate should continue and should not be cut short at this stage. I have therefore decided to vote for the Bill at second reading so as to enable the debate to continue.
I reserve my position, however, for Report Stage and Third Reading (the final stage in the Commons before it goes to the House of Lords). There needs to be further scrutiny and answers, including the examples provided to me by constituents where they or a loved one were given six months to live only to survive many years later: how would the proposed process be halted in such cases? Fears have also been expressed by many of my constituents about the expansion of the Canadian model: how will “a slippery slope” be prevented in the UK? And an understandable concern is whether the safeguards in the Bill are sufficient to prevent and detect coercion?
And those who oppose the Bill must not rely on misleading claims about the NHS. If the Bill is passed, the NHS will adapt and systems will be set in place. The NHS exists to serve patients, not the other way round.
I will consider carefully the next stages of the Bill and will continue to welcome correspondence from my constituents on this important matter.