Teacher dying of bowel cancer begs MPs to approve assisted dying as proposed law published
12 November 2024, 10:55 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 10:56
A teacher dying of cancer says he's haunted by the deaths of his fiancé and mum - as he begged MPs to greenlight assisted dying.
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Nathaniel Dye joined the fight to be allowed to end his life in the way he wanted, as a new bill to change the law was finally published.
The proposed new laws will only include those who have less than six months to live, and will have to be signed off by two doctors and a High Court Judge.
And they would have to be of sound mind and be able to administer the drugs itself.
It could mean someone would get the sign off to end their life in just 21 days, under the new law.
Read more: Terminally ill can end their lives in just 21 days under new proposed assisted dying laws
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But it won't include people with mental health issues or severe disabilities in a bid to stop it from being abused.
At a press conference to launch Kim Leadbeater's bill in Westminster, Mr Dye urged MPs to carefully consider it.
The teacher, 38, who supported Labour leader Keir Starmer on the election campaign trial, said it would be a "chance to act with kindness at their darkness hour" for people like him.
Dye, who has stage four incurable bowel cancer, revealed how his mother and fiancé also died of cancer, and he was "haunted" by their passing.
He added: "It's got me thinking. I'm not afraid of dying. It's coming anyway.
"There is no chance I will get better. Can we make my death be as kind and compassionate as possible?"
Dame Esther Rantzen hails Labour's 'extraordinary' Kim Leadbeater for the assisted dying bill
MPs, doctors and lawyers joined forces from across the spectrum to make the case for a change to the law, calling the current situation "unworkable".
Former director of public prosecutions, Sir Max Hill urged MPs: "What is the argument for doing nothing?"
Kim Leadbeater, the MP pushing forward the new laws, said: "At the heart of the bill is the change that we need to see given the current situation.
"The current status quo around end of life for terminally ill people in this country, we know that the current situation is not fit for practice.
"We've got people who in their dying days feel they have no other option than to either end their own lives travel to a different country, but only if they can afford to do so, which is very expensive."
She insisted there would be capacity in the courts and NHS to be able to deal with the changes - saying they already were dealing with people at the end of their lives and how to deal with them.
Labour's former Attorney General, Charlie Faulkner, added: "I've been supportive of a change in the law over a long period of time... the law is completely broken.
"For the very first time in my time, it is possible that this can get through. It's a free vote. The Prime Minister has said he's supportive, in principle, but to look at the safeguards completely rightly, the opportunity is there.
"And I believe what very many of the public would expect parliament to do is to produce a change in the law, a properly safeguarded change in the law, but a change in the law, and now we have the opportunity."
Ten countries including New Zealand and Canada have legalised assisted dying, and it is responsible for around 3 per cent of deaths worldwide.
MPs will vote on whether to push on with the new law on November 29.
Many are split on the issue, with senior cabinet minister including the Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, opposing it.
