Good afternoon friend,
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Please write to the House of Lords today.
Baroness Meacher’s Assisted Dying Bill is being debated in the House of Lords on Friday 22nd October - just one month from today. The single most important thing you can do for the campaign is to write to members of the House of Lords, otherwise known as Peers, ahead of the debate.
This is an historic opportunity. It is crucial that sympathetic Peers receive personal letters in support of the Bill, asking for their views and explaining why this cause is so close to your heart. Every action you take now brings us one step closer to victory.
Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords don’t have formal offices or staff, so instead of sending an email, it’s really important to write a letter in your own words, handwritten or printed out, and post it to them. We’ve written some guidance to help you write your letter on our website, containing key arguments and points to emphasise.
We have developed a unique online template for you to use that will randomly assign you three Peers and provide their full names and addresses. All you have to do is write the letter as instructed, then press DOWNLOAD 1, DOWNLOAD 2, DOWNLOAD 3 - and each letter will be fully formatted and ready for you to send.
To be as effective as possible, it is important that every letter you send:
- Is personal, polite and persuasive, containing the key reasons why you support a change in the law
- Includes any personal experience that you’re willing to share of the current law not working
- Ends with a request – be explicit and ask the Peers you’re contacting to attend the debate and speak in favour of the Bill.
For every year this country maintains the status quo, dozens of dying people travel to Switzerland, hundreds end their lives at home and thousands suffer against their wishes. This isn’t safe. This isn’t just. This isn’t right.
Dying people don’t have time to wait - we need an assisted dying law and we need it now. Please, write to the House of Lords today and make sure Peers know they need to support this Bill.
Thank you in advance for your invaluable help.
P.S. Personal letters are the only way to get through to Peers ahead of the Second Reading on the 22nd October. Please take the time to write in support of the new Assisted Dying Bill today.
