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Senior figures in Norfolk and Waveney have given their views on the highly controversial assisted dying bill, with opinions very much divided. The proposed law would enable terminally ill people to be helped to end their lives. The Bishop of Norwich has warned that the bill, which will be debated in Parliament later this month, risks turning the NHS from "a protector of life to an enabler of death" .
Some of Norfolk's MPs, who have been assured they will get a free vote on the bill, have similar concerns. Others say they are minded to support it. What is in the assisted dying bill? Only terminally adults with less than six months to live would be eligible under the new law.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater (Image: Ben Whitley/PA Wire) Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill runs to almost 40 pages. It features several requirements: -The person must be an adult, resident in England or Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months. -They must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and be deemed to have expressed a "clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure" to end their life.
-They must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months. -They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die. -The process must involve two independent doctors being satisfied the person is eligible.
These medics can consult a specialist on the person’s condition and get an assessment from an expert in mental capacity if deemed necessary. -A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors regarding the application and can also question the dying person, as well as anyone else they consider appropriate. -There must be at least seven days between the two doctors making their assessments and a further 14 days after the judge has made a ruling, for the person to have a period of reflection on their decision.
For someone whose death is expected imminently, the 14-day period could be reduced to 48 hours. The bill would make it illegal for someone to persuade a person through dishonesty, coercion or pressure to declare they wanted to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer drugs to die. Anyone found guilty of doing so would face a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
The bill will be debated on November 29. What do MPs say? South Norfolk MP Ben Goldsborough (Image: Labour Party) Ben Goldsborough, Labour MP for South Norfolk , said he was not in favour of changing the law pointing to "unforeseen consequences" in the Netherlands. He said: "In the 1980s, the Dutch government stopped prosecuting physicians who committed voluntary euthanasia on their patients and by the 1990s over 50pc of acts of euthanasia were no longer voluntary.
"In 2001 euthanasia was made legal and in 2004 it was decided children also could be euthanised. "In 2011, the Dutch Physicians Association said unbearable and lasting suffering should not be the only criteria physicians consider when a patient requests euthanasia, advocating instead for a new set of guidelines which says a combination of social factors and diseases and ailments that are not terminal should also qualify. "I am concerned this may be the end point of legalising the right to die in the UK.
" He added: "I'm also concerned that introducing the right to die will put pressure on vulnerable people who believe they have become a burden and must therefore be euthanised." Norwich South MP Clive Lewis Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South , said he was still undecided. He said: "My heart says to vote for it, but my head says not to vote for it.
I believe that people should have the right to die with dignity and the right to end their own lives with the correct safeguards in place. "I don't think people should have to travel to other counties, or that they should have to expect family members to possibly commit crimes." Mr Lewis supported an assisted dying bill in 2015 but said circumstances had changed, with a decade of austerity under the Conservatives leaving public services in a poor state.
He said: I don't feel comfortable voting for a bill where people could be pressured into taking their own lives because it's cheaper and easier. "This could be the start of a slippery slope, so I will be making sure that there are safeguards in place." "If I'm unhappy with the checks and balances and the safeguards, I won't be voting for it.
" Broadland and Fakenham MP Jerome Mayhew (Image: Danielle Booden) Jerome Mayhew, Conservative MP for Broadland and South Norfolk , said he had yet to decide how to vote. He said: "From a personal perspective, I was deeply involved in the decline and death of my father from cancer in 2016, with carefully managed palliative care that allowed my father to die when the time was right. "This is a developing area of the law and I would describe myself as cautious in this matter, but I am fully open to new evidence.
"However, I am very worried a relaxation would lay the elderly and vulnerable open to unfair manipulation by family members, particularly when money, either in the form of inheritance or care fees, is concerned." Adrian Ramsay, Green MP for Waveney Valley (Image: Green Party) Adrian Ramsay, Green MP for Waveney Valley , said: "At the moment, I am minded to vote in favour as I support a sensitive, humane and dignified approach to minimising end-of-life suffering. "But there must be incredibly rigorous safeguards so that everyone’s rights are protected.
"I also believe we must invest far more in palliative and social care, so people in pain and with a terminal illness don’t feel that they have no choice." Steffan Aquarone, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk (Image: Steffan Aquarone) Steffan Aquarone, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk , said: "Although the vote requires a binary response, these things are not black and white. "But I am currently minded to support the proposed bill.
The issues of safeguarding, improved palliative care and the right to dignity are not mutually exclusive. "I will study the bill carefully if it progresses further and will only support it if it continues to stack up." South West Norfolk Labour MP Terry Jermy (Image: Owen Sennitt) Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk , said: "I am likely to vote in favour of assisted dying if we get the opportunity to do so.
"I support the principle, but would like reassurance that there are safeguards in place so people do not feel coerced or pressured. " My own experience with the death of my father weighs heavily on my decision making, but I would welcome my constituents getting in touch with their views." Mid Norfolk Conservative MP George Freeman (Image: Richard Townshend Photography) George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk , said: "I deeply sympathise with the patients and loved ones of those suffering from the most debilitating and painful terminal diseases.
"But I do not want to see suicide clinics across the UK, nor any signal sent to those with serious mental health problems that suicide is an encouraged option. "I welcome the debate in Parliament. But we must legislate carefully and hesitantly in matters like this.
For me to vote for it, the bill must be drafted correctly to prevent unintended consequences." Alice Macdonald, Labour MP for Norwich North (Image: Alice Macdonald) Alice Macdonald, Labour MP for Norwich North , said: "I am minded towards voting in support of a change in the law for adults with terminal illnesses. "However, I recognise the magnitude of this decision and am listening carefully to constituents and experts.
"Now the bill has been published I will be looking at it in detail to ensure appropriate and robust safeguards are in place." Great Yarmouth Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe (Image: Newsquest) Rupert Lowe, Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth , has organised a poll among his constituents on the issue. He said: "This is a monumental decision.
"Politicians like to pretend they know best, but on such an issue, I am handing the power back to my constituents. They will vote and I will do as instructed." Lowestoft MP Jess Asato (Image: Mick Howes) Jess Asato, Labour MP for Lowestoft , is hosting a public meeting to discuss the bill at the town's Players Theatre this Friday .
She previously said: "I will be using that conversation, as well as discussions with experts from a range of areas, to make up my mind on the Bill before second reading. "However, I remain concerned about what informed consent will mean in practice and the potential for coercion." North West Norfolk MP James Wild (Image: Newsquest) James Wild, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk , said: "While I am open to possible changes, it is essential to examine whether effective safeguards can be implemented including those to protect vulnerable individuals.
"This issue is one of individual conscience, not party politics, and I will continue to listen to different views from constituents and others reflecting on the moral, medical, and legal issues involved. "It is crucial Parliament is afforded ample time to scrutinise such measures in depth." What do religious leaders say? The Rt Rev Graham Usher (Image: Diocese of Norwich) The Rt Rev Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, has said he has "deep concerns" about the proposals and that assisted suicide "is not the right way forward".
Bishop Graham said: "I am concerned about the experience of countries which have legalised it, the impact assisted suicide would have on the most vulnerable, the lack of time the bill has had for scrutiny, and what a change in the law would say about the value of human life. "Legalising assisted suicide would shift the NHS from the protector of life to an enabler of death. I do not think it is right to ask this of healthcare professionals.
It will put huge pressure on them." The Rt Rev Bishop Peter Collins, Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia (Image: Bill Smith) The Rt Rev Peter Collins, the Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, has asked Catholics to write to their MP urging them to vote against the proposals. He said: "The absolute value and dignity of each and every human life is a principle not subject to variation.
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