It’s absolutely right that we talk about dignity at the end of life. No one should have to endure unnecessary suffering. However, I’m deeply uneasy about the focus on assisted dying as the primary solution. My concern, as a teacher and a mum, is that this legislation could inadvertently put pressure on vulnerable people, especially if our social care and palliative services aren’t up to scratch. We need to ensure that the ‘safeguards’ aren’t just boxes to tick, but genuine support systems that address the root causes of suffering.
What does ‘settled’ mean when someone is in pain and feeling like a burden? We should be investing massively in excellent palliative care, accessible to everyone, everywhere. That means pain management, emotional support, and practical help for families.
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This is why I think it's crucial that we invest in community-based palliative care, where teams can visit patients in their own homes, rather than relying on them to travel to a central location. For example, a friend of mine who was caring for her terminally ill husband was able to get regular visits from a wonderful hospice nurse, which made a huge difference to their quality of life. This kind of care is what we should be focusing on, rather than just assisted dying.
Here in Bradford, we've seen how hard it is for some families to get to appointments, even for routine things. Imagine trying to arrange specialist palliative care transport when the local bus service can barely manage a school run. We need to fix that first.
This policy talks a big game about dignity but if we can’t even sort out getting decent care to people at home, what hope is there? We’re so focused on the 'what ifs' of assisted dying that we’re ignoring the 'what is' of people suffering now because they can’t get help.