This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/16/lord-avebury-assisted-dying-urge-lords-support

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Lord Avebury to urge Lords to support controversial assisted dying law Lord Avebury to urge Lords to support controversial assisted dying law
(about 2 hours later)
A peer with an incurable form of blood cancer is to urge the House of Lords to support controversial assisted dying legislation that would give him the option of allowing doctors to hasten the end of his life.A peer with an incurable form of blood cancer is to urge the House of Lords to support controversial assisted dying legislation that would give him the option of allowing doctors to hasten the end of his life.
Lord Avebury, a former chief whip for the Liberals, will declare his medical interest in the legislation when he rises to speak in a debate on the issue in the House of Lords. More than 130 peers are scheduled to speak about the bill, proposed by former lord chancellor Lord Falconer, which would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose to terminally ill patients judged to have less than six months to live.Lord Avebury, a former chief whip for the Liberals, will declare his medical interest in the legislation when he rises to speak in a debate on the issue in the House of Lords. More than 130 peers are scheduled to speak about the bill, proposed by former lord chancellor Lord Falconer, which would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose to terminally ill patients judged to have less than six months to live.
The ex-MP for Orpington, then Eric Lubbock, has written about his illness and support for the legislation as a "potential beneficiary" on his blog.The ex-MP for Orpington, then Eric Lubbock, has written about his illness and support for the legislation as a "potential beneficiary" on his blog.
He told the Guardian: "I have an incurable disease, which has very nasty symptoms in the later stages. It's a form of blood cancer called myelofibrosis where the inside of the bone marrow turns to fibre and it no longer produces blood, so you suffocate. I don't pretend that I am in the terminal stages yet but I know that it is inevitable. I would like to have it as a reserve and I think everybody deserves that right. I have heard from lots and lots of people who have watched close relatives or friends dying in painful or unpleasant ways and I think [patients] should have the right to end that suffering in the final few weeks."He told the Guardian: "I have an incurable disease, which has very nasty symptoms in the later stages. It's a form of blood cancer called myelofibrosis where the inside of the bone marrow turns to fibre and it no longer produces blood, so you suffocate. I don't pretend that I am in the terminal stages yet but I know that it is inevitable. I would like to have it as a reserve and I think everybody deserves that right. I have heard from lots and lots of people who have watched close relatives or friends dying in painful or unpleasant ways and I think [patients] should have the right to end that suffering in the final few weeks."
He added: "I think it's obvious that palliative care is not effective in 100% of cases. Figures have been quoted that between 85% and 90% where you can effectively counter pain with medication. Whatever the number may be, it is unthinkable that we should not take measures to enable people to alleviate their own suffering."He added: "I think it's obvious that palliative care is not effective in 100% of cases. Figures have been quoted that between 85% and 90% where you can effectively counter pain with medication. Whatever the number may be, it is unthinkable that we should not take measures to enable people to alleviate their own suffering."
Speaking in the Commons yesterday, David Cameron said he was "not convinced" there was a need for the assisted dying legislation. "I am very happy for a debate to be held here and of course there are now opportunities for backbenchers to hold debates in the chamber and I am sure the new leader of the House of Commons, who I am sure we all want to welcome to his place, will be listening carefully to that request," he said. A major boost for advocates of the bill also came when the minister in charge of care for the elderly said that, after rethinking his position, he had decided to support it in order to change the current "confused situation".
Norman Lamb, a Liberal Democrat, said on BBC Newsnight: "The safeguards are absolutely critical and in a sense it was the fear of exploitation which always caused me concern in the past."
"But ultimately, should we stand on in the way of someone wanting to make their own decision about their life or should we set the safeguards in place to ensure that there is every chance of avoiding that exploitation? I am very clear that the individual should be the person who decides, not the state."
Lamb said that he had come to his decision "through taking to an awful lot of people, people who have gone through the experience of a loved one dying, often going through months of pain and distress."
"I think that the current position where we have got this confused situation, that families do not know what the law will do to them and you have the crown prosecution service reviewing, I think, something like 60 cases since the most recent guidance - what an invidious position to put families in, not knwoing whether you are going to be prosecuted for helping a loved one to end their life."
Speaking in the Commons , David Cameron said he was "not convinced" there was a need for the assisted dying legislation. "I am very happy for a debate to be held here and of course there are now opportunities for backbenchers to hold debates in the chamber and I am sure the new leader of the House of Commons, who I am sure we all want to welcome to his place, will be listening carefully to that request," he said.
"For myself I am not convinced that further steps need to be taken, I worry about legalising euthanasia and people might be being pushed into things that they don't actually want for themselves, but by all means let's have the debate.""For myself I am not convinced that further steps need to be taken, I worry about legalising euthanasia and people might be being pushed into things that they don't actually want for themselves, but by all means let's have the debate."
Although proponents of the bill fear some will try to introduce a wrecking amendment to kill the legislation, some in the Lords were last night speculating that opponents will not actually press it to a division but allow it to go through to scrutiny at committee stage. Peers will only have around four minutes each to make speeches, so this would allow it to be discussed in more detail and all the arguments heard at length. Despite the attention being given to the bill, there is unlikely to be time for it to pass before the end of this parliament.Although proponents of the bill fear some will try to introduce a wrecking amendment to kill the legislation, some in the Lords were last night speculating that opponents will not actually press it to a division but allow it to go through to scrutiny at committee stage. Peers will only have around four minutes each to make speeches, so this would allow it to be discussed in more detail and all the arguments heard at length. Despite the attention being given to the bill, there is unlikely to be time for it to pass before the end of this parliament.
However, the issue has split politics, the church and the disabled community over recent weeks. Many disability campaigners, including the paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, are implacably opposed. Others including the paralysed physicist Stephen Hawking claim not giving disabled people the same right to die as able bodied people is a form of discrimination.However, the issue has split politics, the church and the disabled community over recent weeks. Many disability campaigners, including the paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, are implacably opposed. Others including the paralysed physicist Stephen Hawking claim not giving disabled people the same right to die as able bodied people is a form of discrimination.
The Church of England is officially opposed to assisted suicide but the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and the retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu have come out in favour of the legislation.The Church of England is officially opposed to assisted suicide but the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and the retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu have come out in favour of the legislation.
This week leading doctors called for terminally ill patients who are suffering "unendurably" to be able to end their lives with doctors' help, in an attempt to persuade the Lords to back the plans. This week leading doctors called for terminally ill patients who are suffering "unendurably" to be able to end their lives with doctors' help, in an attempt to persuade theLords to back the plans.
Twenty-seven senior figures, including 11 present or former presidents of royal medical colleges and a former NHS medical director, wrote to every peer urging them to back the bid to legalise assisted dying. Twenty-seven senior figures, including 11 present or former presidents of royal medical colleges and a former NHS medical director, wrote to peers urging them to back the bid to legalise assisted dying.