A fresh move to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has been blocked in the House of Commons, with North Yorkshire MPs split on the controversial measure.
A bill to permit assisted dying in England and Wales has been voted down in the House of Commons – this is how North Yorkshire MPs voted on the measure.
Members of Parliament voted against a fresh move to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales on Friday, September 11.
In the second reading of the bill, put forward by Labour’s Lauren Edwards, MPs voted by 286 to 270 in the Commons for the bill to be blocked.
A near-identical version of the bill, which sought to allow adults with terminal illnesses and less than six months to live to end their lives with the approval of a panel of experts, was approved by the Commons in the last parliament.
The last time MPs voted on the bill, 291 voted against it, with 314 in favour.
This is how MPs representing constituencies in North Yorkshire voted on or abstained from the vote.
Voted for the bill:
- Alison Hume, Scarborough and Whitby, Labour
- Tom Gordon, Harrogate and Knaresborough, Liberal Democrats
- Keir Mather, Selby, Labour
Voted against the bill:
- Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Wetherby and Easingwold, Conservative
- Sir Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon, Conservative
- Rachael Maskell, York Central, Labour
No vote recorded:
- Luke Charters, York Outer, Labour
- Kevin Hollinrake, Thirsk and Malton, Conservative
- Rishi Sunak, Richmond and Northallerton, Conservative
Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said:
“I want to thank everyone who took the time to write to me about this deeply personal and sensitive issue. I received thoughtful and heartfelt representations from people on both sides of the debate, and I listened carefully to every view shared with me.
“While I am disappointed by the outcome, my reasons for supporting assisted dying remain unchanged. I believe terminally ill people facing the end of their lives should have the option of a safe, dignified and compassionate choice, surrounded by their loved ones.
“I was particularly moved by constituents who shared painful experiences of unnecessary suffering because of the law as it stands. Throughout this debate, I have believed that compassion, dignity, individual choice and strong safeguards must go hand in hand, and I continue to hold that view.”
Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Tom Gordon said earlier this year that the “robust” bill had some of “the strongest safeguards in the world”.
He said the assisted dying bill “would have really strict criteria and really strong safeguards, and as a member of the bill committee I’m trying to make it even better and stronger”.
Mr Gordon said:
“We know many people who have terminal illness have a lot of pain and suffering and the option to have an assisted death is the compassionate thing to do.”
Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, said last year that she was “extremely concerned that if this Bill was to pass through Parliament it could lead to coercion, rather than protecting people from it”.
She said:
“I do not believe it will work safely for everyone and that there is a real danger of putting marginalised communities at risk should it go through Parliament.”
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