Good afternoon
On Wednesday night members of the Irish parliament voted 81-71 in support of a new assisted dying bill - the Dying with Dignity Bill - which will now progress to the next stage.
This is an enormous step forward for Irish citizens fighting for end-of-life choice. Having only legalised abortion and equal marriage in the past five years, it is fantastic to see Ireland’s legislators grasp the nettle on assisted dying and back this next progressive choice for their constituents.
The bill will now undergo pre-legislative scrutiny in a parliamentary committee, after an amendment tabled by the coalition government that would have delayed the bill’s passage was defeated.
This historic news comes alongside yesterday's historic BMA poll results and precedes New Zealand’s much anticipated referendum on assisted dying at the end of the month. This confirms what we all know - the UK is being left behind by progressive, compassionate countries who recognise that dying people should not be forced to suffer against their wishes.
I’ll be in touch next week to let you know how you can get your MP up to speed on all this important news.
