Good afternoon friend,
Our political system faces uncertainty like never before, but we remain focused on our cause: to ensure that MPs pass an assisted dying law. A general election must be called by the end of 2024, though the Prime Minister's resignation yesterday could mean an election comes sooner. Whatever happens, we need to prepare the ground so that the next assisted dying bill has the parliamentary time it needs to succeed. Will you ask your MP to Make Time for Assisted Dying?
We need a free and fair debate on assisted dying in this country. In Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man, where we are forging the path to law change, there are parliamentary processes that will ensure assisted dying can become law if there is political support. In Westminster, opponents of law change can simply slow down the process until it runs out of time. We need all parties to agree to a debate in Westminster that is not constrained by this archaic process.
To achieve this, we want MPs to call for each of the parties’ manifestos to promise that any future assisted dying bill will have the time to be fully scrutinised, debated, and brought to a vote. We need political parties to pledge to Make Time for Assisted Dying.
MPs must hear from you, their constituents, that this is an issue that deserves attention. They need to feel the pressure from their voters that there must be a commitment to parliamentary time for a future assisted dying bill. Will you ask your MP to pledge their support today?
Every MP, no matter their view on the subject, should agree that this issue needs to be debated in full in Parliament. Even an opponent of assisted dying should understand that a pledge for time and a free vote is a sensible, sensitive and reasonable approach. It’s an approach that commits no MP to voting for it unless they are personally persuaded, but ensures that it cannot be curtailed by procedural gimmicks.
This is going to be a long campaign that takes us right up to the next general election. We’ve already started spreading this message among MPs at party conferences, and local Dignity in Dying groups have been out in city centres supporting local people to lobby their MPs.
Find out where your MP stands and ask them to pledge their support for parliamentary time today.
Hearing from their constituents in large numbers can be the only thing that secures an issue’s place in the political agenda. Your MP needs to hear from you to keep assisted dying on their radar.
Thanks in advance for taking action to ensure that political parties Make Time for Assisted Dying. I’ll be back in touch soon with more actions you can take to secure this promise.
Best wishes,
Tom Davies
Director of Public Affairs
Dignity in Dying
P.S. Political parties need to Make Time for Assisted Dying - drop your MP one quick email today and ask them to pledge their support.
