Dame Esther Rantzen has issued an emotional plea as the Assisted Dying Bill faces a critical deadline later today, nearly 17 months after MPs voted in favour. The broadcaster and long-time campaigner has been a vocal advocate for the legislation, which aims to give terminally ill adults the choice to end their lives with medical assistance.
Bill Stalled in the Lords
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed by the House of Commons on June 20 last year, but progress has been blocked in the House of Lords by a small minority who raised over 1,200 amendments. One controversial amendment included a requirement for pregnancy tests for both men and women. As a result, the proposed law is set to run out of time after almost 17 months of debates.
Dame Esther's Personal Battle
Dame Esther, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2023, has been open about her support for assisted dying. She previously revealed she had joined the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. Earlier this year, she admitted that new medication was no longer working and that she was "not going to live long enough to see the Assisted Dying Bill become law" in the United Kingdom.
Plea for Compassion
During a pre-recorded segment on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dame Esther said: "I will obviously keep battling, not on my own behalf but on behalf of all the future generations that deserve a proper, compassionate, humanitarian bill." She added: "Doctors used to ease people out of life; that's what we need, we need the opportunity to ask for assistance. Not to shorten our lives but to shorten our deaths."
Addressing Concerns
Earlier this month, Dame Esther addressed criticisms from disability groups and medical bodies. She said: "I think it's very sad that disabled people think this bill applies to them, it doesn't. When Tanni Grey-Thompson says that nobody thinks this bill is safe – yes, they do. And when she says that the Royal Colleges of Medicine are opposed to it, no they're not. What they have decided is that doctors should have the choice, and what this bill is all about is choice."
This is a breaking news story. Follow The Mirror for updates on this developing story.
