It has now been half a decade since parliament last examined legislation to legalise assisted dying, and 15 years since it formally scrutinised the evidence. In that time, the number of Britons travelling to Switzerland has rocketed sixfold; successive countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, and parts of the United States and Australia, have legalised assisted dying, demonstrating that such changes can be achieved in a safe and compassionate way; public opinion has dramatically risen to nearly 90% supporting a change in the law for the terminally ill and incurably suffering; and there has been a significant shift in medical opinion and from within the disability community.
Following our unsuccessful legal cases, it is now obvious that parliamentarians alone have a responsibility to look at this matter again. They must not allow our cases to become the final word on the matter, or else countless others will experience the indignity, suffering and agony that we can attest that this law creates.
The evidence on assisted dying has simply changed, and parliament cannot afford to turn a blind eye any longer.
Phil Newby, Jane Nicklinson (the wife of Tony Nicklinson), Omar Puente (the husband of Debbie Purdy), the mother of Omid T
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