Earlier today I spoke in the House of Commons and voted for the Terminally Ill Adults (end of life) Bill.
I believe everyone should be given the choice at the end of their life and that this is the key to a compassionate society.
Here's a transcript of my contribution to the debate and my rationale for supporting this overdue reform to end of life care.
For a full transcript of my speech see below:
This is a humbling subject. And I would like to put on record my thanks to the honourable member for Spen Valley for bringing this important issue before the house.
I have witnessed first-hand the cruelty that a terminal diagnosis brings. The son of a single mother, my grandparents were like second parents to me. Each struggled with incurable cancer diagnoses.
At the Christmas dinner table in 2019, my Nan, who could not eat and was clearly in a great deal of pain, turned to me and said that she was “ready to go”. “It’s time now” she added.
It was that night I reflected on how, as a society, we shy away from discussing death.
We park it away, prioritising more immediate – and palatable – subjects.
But death isn’t just inevitable. It is impacting so many members of our community every day. From their terminal diagnosis to their medical treatment and, ultimately, their final days.
This really matters to me.
