The fear of assisted death has not been realized, say Australian Westminster MPs

On the eve of Westminster’s main vote, politicians behind Australia’s assisted dying laws have written to MPs saying end-of-life care is “now safer and fairer than ever before”.

Six lawmakers who have led reforms in their states said that “none of the concerns raised as reasons not to change the law have come to pass.”

The letter was addressed to MPs taking part in Friday’s debate on the Kim Leadbeater bill relating to terminally ill people (at the end of life).

Meanwhile, Lord David Cameron became the first living former British prime minister to say he would support the bill if it came before the House of Lords, describing it as “not about ending life, but about shortening death.”

The Australian politicians’ letter came as Paralympic athlete Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson warned disabled people were “really worried” about the bill, which she described as “very lax” in terms of safeguards.

Ms Leadbeater argued that her proposed legislation, requiring the signature of two doctors and a High Court judge, was robust and potentially provided the “strictest protection” against coercion anywhere in the world.

However, Baroness Grey-Thompson said she did not believe there were safeguards in place to protect vulnerable people.

She told the PA news agency: “I think there will always be vulnerable people. I don’t see safeguards that are okay and that don’t risk some people’s lives ending against their will.

She said: “If someone like me, a paraplegic, had a pressure ulcer and it wasn’t healing, I would be within that six-month diagnosis.

“I think Kim’s intentions are really good. I think she really wants to do something, but that’s the point – you can’t talk about emotions. And this is difficult because you have to look at what is in the bill.

“And what is in the bill is quite appalling. It’s very relaxed.”

Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and strongly supports changing the law, wrote to MPs this week urging them to take part in the debate and vote on the “vital issue of life and death”.

Baroness Thompson said: “It’s important that people vote. “I would say it’s important that people vote no.”

AP data from Wednesday evening indicates that so far about 80 parliamentarians intend to support the bill, and just over 70 are against it.

Of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons, most, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, have not yet publicly revealed how they will vote. He previously advocated for a change to the law in 2015, when the last aid-in-dying bill was rejected in the House of Commons.

The Cabinet is divided on the issue – Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood intend to vote ‘no’, while Energy Secretary and former Labor leader Ed Miliband support the bill along with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

A letter from Australian politicians, in collaboration with pro-change group Dignity in Dying and shared with the AP, told MPs: “Not everyone agreed with the law, but ultimately a majority of members in each house saw that the status quo that had allowed a terrible end to suffering life was unacceptable in a modern, humane society – a view that was largely reflected in the community.

“Support for the reforms introduced has grown and Australia has no desire to repeal these laws.”

They added: “End-of-life care in Australia is now safer and fairer than ever before and none of the concerns raised as a reason not to change the law have come to fruition.”

Christian Action Research and Education (Care) described Friday’s debate as dealing with an “extremely important” issue and urged MPs to “reject assisted suicide because it is morally wrong and practically dangerous.”

Its chief executive, Ross Hendry, said: “This practice fundamentally changes the value that societies place on human life.

“Assisted suicide creates a two-tier society in which some lives are seen as not worth living and less protection is provided. “Rather than stepping in to end life, the government should seek to strengthen existing life-affirming support for dying people.”

Ms Leadbeater described the term “assisted suicide” as “quite offensive to some people”, arguing that assisted dying was for people who wanted to shorten their death, not end their life.

The bill, which covers only England and Wales, proposes that terminally ill adults with less than six months to live who have a strong wish to die should be able to do so.