Anna Dixon MP statement after 3rd reading of Assisted Dying Bill

Anna Dixon MP for Shipley has released the following statement after the Assisted Dying Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons:

I have never held any principled objections to assisted dying, based on my faith or any other beliefs. However, I have been clear from the start that this legislative process has been flawed.

The result was a Bill that was unworkable and unsafe, and that is why I voted against it today.

Many fundamental questions remain unanswered. I believe that a more in-depth process of public consultation and an expert-led inquiry would have allowed us to fully understand the implications of different options.

In a context where we have an NHS that is beginning to recover but staff shortages remain critical, a social care system that is so heavily means tested it can wipe out all your wealth, and hospices which rely hugely on charitable fundraising to make ends meet, this is not the right time to be introducing assisted dying.

I am disappointed that today, a bill has been passed that the Royal College of Physicians said it couldn’t support, and the Association for Palliative Medicine called ‘compromised by inadequate safeguards’.

The vote today was close. There is a large minority of MPs who objected to this Bill in its current form.

I respect the result and will now work with Peers in the House of Lords to see if any further safeguards can be added to the Bill.