The assisted dying law could come at the expense of other NHS services, Streeting says

Implementing a new assisted dying law could come at the expense of other NHS services, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has suggested.

The minister – who plans to vote against the assisted dying bill when it is debated later this month – told Times Radio on Wednesday that “it would be a big change”.

He added: “There would be implications for the means to do this. And those choices would come at the expense of other choices.

“And of course we have to continue working with the medical profession, which would be a completely new way of working.

“For example, no one should be forced to participate in assisted dying if he or she, as a doctor, has moral or ethical objections to it. That would definitely be one of my red lines.

“And that’s one of the reasons why, regardless of my vote on this, I welcome the debate. I welcome the debate in principle, but also the debate in practice.”

Asked whether the change in the law would go ahead and whether he would have to source the money elsewhere, Mr Streeting said: “Yes. Governing is choosing.

“If Parliament chooses to move forward with assisted dying, it is making the choice that this is an area where investment must be prioritised. And we have to process those implications.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Streeting said he believes palliative care for terminally ill people can become good enough not to be a barrier to legalizing assisted suicide.

He has repeatedly expressed his view that the palliative care system is not “where it needs to be to give people real choice”.

Asked during the program on Wednesday: “Do you think palliative care can get good enough, quickly enough that that is not an obstacle for you to the legalization of assisted suicide?”, Mr Streeting said: “Yes, and that is part of it.” .” It.

“I mean, I’ve also raised some concerns about coercion and how people can be coerced into committing suicide, and not just by malicious intent on the part of people with vested interests and something to gain from someone’s untimely death, but also to the extent in which people feel like a burden to their loved ones, even if their loved ones say so, is absolutely not the case.

“Therefore, this issue is fraught with a number of ethical considerations, but also with practical considerations. This is a balanced judgement.

“As far as I am concerned, I will certainly vote against the bill, but I have enormous respect for colleagues who have a different opinion.”

Labor MP Kim Leadbeater has described her proposed legislation as the “most robust” in the world, saying she expects hundreds of dying people would initially be able to opt for a service where patients can press a button to end their lives.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated and likely to be voted on on November 29, the first vote in the House of Commons on assisted dying since 2015.

Opposition campaigners have raised fears of coercion and a slippery slope to broader legislation that brings in more people.

But Ms Leadbeater has rejected these arguments, saying her bill has ‘three layers of scrutiny’ in the form of a signature by two doctors and a High Court judge, and would make coercion a criminal offense with a possible sentence of 14 years imprisonment. .

Speaking at Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I will not put pressure on any MP to vote one way or the other.

“I will personally review the details of the draft law now published today because safeguards have always been extremely important to me and were an essential part of the guidelines I established while I was chief prosecutor.”

Sir Keir has previously supported assisted dying, but the government has pledged to remain neutral on the issue and all MPs will be able to vote according to their conscience, rather than along party lines.

Only terminally ill adults with less than six months to live who have a firm desire to end their lives would qualify under the new law.

Ms Leadbeater said the proposed legislation for England and Wales would provide the “safest choice” for mentally competent adults at the end of life and could provide protection against coercion.

When questioned at a press conference on Tuesday, she suggested that hundreds rather than thousands would sign up to use such a service, where patients could potentially press a button to self-administer the drugs and end their lives .

The bill contains ‘safeguards everywhere’ and is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Parliament’ to change what is currently a ‘pathetic situation’ with the current law, according to former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Max Hill.

He said the status quo is a two-tier system where the wealthy can travel to Dignitas in Switzerland, while others must consider helping their loved ones die and potentially face prosecution as a result.

Well-known supporters of a change in the law include Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and revealed in December that she had joined Dignitas because of the current law.

The broadcaster has praised the “wonderful” bill, but acknowledged that it is likely to come into force too late for it, recognizing that the narrow criteria will not help people endure unbearable pain and anxiety due to chronic diseases.

Right To Life UK has branded the proposed legislation “a disaster waiting to happen”, describing the planned measures as a “monumental change to our laws”.

Campaign group Our Duty Of Care, which represents doctors and nurses, has written to the Prime Minister arguing that it is “impossible for any government to legislate assisted suicide that includes protection against coercion and future extension”.