Paul Blomfield Former MP for Sheffield Central
After joining a rally organised by Dignity in Dying to mark the success of a petition seeking Parliamentary time for assisted dying to be fully debated in the House of Commons and to give MPs a vote on the issue, I spoke in a debate on the petition in Westminster Hall
The petition which argued that “dying people in the UK should have the option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives with dignity, through a safe and compassionate system with strict eligibility criteria and safeguards” received more than double the 100,000 signatures needed to secure a Parliamentary debate.
I was pleased that the debate was well-attended by MPs, although it meant that my speech had to be restricted to three minutes – in which time I concentrated on the recent Health and Social Care Select Committee report, highlighting the damage caused by the existing law and the international evidence addressing the concerns of those opposing law change.
You can watch my speech below or read it here.