Assisted Dying Town Hall

MPs will vote in the House of Commons on 29th November on whether to legalise assisted death.

The full text of the proposed new law, referred to as a ‘bill’, has not yet been published, but its long title states it will “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life”.

This will be a free vote, meaning that MPs will not be told by Party whips whether to support or oppose the bill. The Prime Minister has also suspended collective Cabinet responsibility on any votes associated with the Bill, to allow Ministers to vote per their conscience.

My view is that a Private Members' Bill is not the right way to try to introduce a change in law on such a complex issue. This is because Private Members' Bills, which are introduced by backbench MPs, don't get anywhere near the same level of scrutiny and debate as the bills put forward by the government. As someone who has passed a Private Members' Bill in the last Parliament, I am aware that they are normally only used for small changes in law – and legalising assisted death does not fall under that category. I therefore plan to either abstain or vote against the Bill on these grounds.

Putting my voting intention to one side, I want to give constituents the opportunity to hear both sides of the debate and to put their views to me directly. If you live in Bristol North West, you are warmly invited to come to this town hall event on assisted dying. All views will be listened to respectfully.

To help inform the discussion, I have invited guest speakers with opposing views on assisted dying:

• Moira Booth, a representative of the Bristol and Bath branch of the Dignity in Dying campaign group, which supports the Bill.
• Professor Julian Hughes, an Honorary Professor at Bristol Medical School who specialises in philosophy and ethics in relation to ageing and dementia and a supporter of the Care Not Killing campaign, which opposes the Bill.

The panellists will make brief opening statements, and then the discussion will be opened up for questions or comments from the audience.

Important:

• This event is only for people who live in my Bristol North West constituency. If you are not a constituent, your ticket will be cancelled. (You can check if your address is in my constituency here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP)
  
• For security reasons, the venue details will only be shared with attendees 24 hours before the event. The venue will be in Westbury-on-Trym.
  
• The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Westbury-on-Trym [venue shared with attendees 24 hours before the event], Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, United Kingdom