Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002 convinced him of the “value and imperative of proper end-of-life care” and voiced his opposition to legalizing assisted dying. .
In a rare and heartbreaking tragedy, he said the time he and his wife Sarah spent at baby Jennifer's bedside as her “life faded away” was “one of the most precious days of my life.” speak [our] It's alive.''
In an article for the Guardian, Mr Brown said that given the “serious ethical and practical issues”, the debate over assisted dying was moving too quickly and given the state of the NHS, it was now too late. He said this meant it was not the right time to make far-reaching decisions.
Instead of a yes-or-no vote in Parliament, Mr Brown said a commission should be established to develop a “fully-funded 10-year strategy for improved comprehensive palliative care”. I'm writing. He cited unpublished data showing half of the public had no confidence in the government's ability to fund specialized end-of-life care and more than two-thirds supported a commission on the issue. cited a public opinion poll.
MPs are due to vote next week on a private member's bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales. MPs are given a free vote, meaning it is up to individuals, not political parties, to decide whether to support a bill.
Supporters and opponents of the bill are expected to step up lobbying of undecided lawmakers in the coming days amid uncertainty over the outcome of the historic vote.
Mr Brown said he and Sarah knew the extent of Jennifer's brain haemorrhage four days after she was born in December 2001, when he was Prime Minister. She died at the age of 11.
“We knew full well that all hope was lost and there was no chance she would survive. We sat with her, held her little hand, and watched as life waned. All we could do was be by her side. She passed away in our arms.
“But the days spent with her remain as some of the most precious days of my and Sarah's lives. The experience of being with a fatally ill baby girl left me with a life-threatening illness. It convinced me of the value and necessity of proper end-of-life care. We were relieved that she was not in pain.”
On Friday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper became the latest minister to share her views on assisted dying, saying she supported the “principle of necessary changes” in the law.
“I have voted for change in the past,” she told Good Morning Britain. “These are important and difficult issues and I have not changed my view on the principles of this issue. However, I believe that we need a detailed discussion of the details of the bill as to what kind of safeguards and arrangements are needed. We also recognize that it is necessary.”
How to vote, she added. “I continue to support the principle that change is necessary, but I also support ensuring that appropriate safeguards and systems are in place.”
A YouGov poll released on Friday found that almost three-quarters of British people believe assisted dying should be legal in principle, with 13% opposed. More than half of respondents (55%) want to go further than current proposals, saying assisted dying should be legal for people with non-terminal, debilitating and incurable diseases. are.
Brown argues that such major decisions should be delayed so that more can be heard and learned.
He writes: “The UK usually moves too slowly on issues that should be moved quickly. But sometimes, like now, we move too quickly on issues that should be slowed down and listened and learned.
After newsletter promotion
“And with the NHS still in its lowest state of decline, now is not the right time to make such a major decision. Rather, we need to consider how we live before deciding whether to legislate a way of dying. We need to show that we can do better.”
At the heart of the debate over assisted dying was a desire to prevent suffering, he wrote, and both sides shared “genuine compassion for all those facing a painful death.” “How best to accomplish this divides our country and raises serious ethical and practical questions.”
He says his view is that assisted dying is “not the only option or even a good option” when compared to proper palliative care.
“But I also know that there is still a lack of care and strong personal support for terminally ill patients, and that end-of-life care is the biggest lottery in the postcode lottery.”
Concerns about a lack of funding for end-of-life care are shared by the public, he says.
“When only a small portion of the population is expected to choose assisted dying, all of our energy is focused on improving the full spectrum of hospice care to reach everyone who needs end-of-life support.” I think it would be better to focus on that.”
He said medical advances could change end-of-life care, adding: “We need to ensure that no one dies alone, uncared for or exposed to avoidable suffering. , it depends on the strength of this generation,” he added.
