York MP Luke Charters says he will be backing the assisted dying bill.
Mr Charters, MP for York Outer, says reform in this area is “much needed”.
That puts him at odds with his Labour colleague, Rachael Maskell, who told YorkMix yesterday that the bill was “not fit for purpose”.
The legislation. put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, would make it legal for over 18s who are terminally ill to be given help to end their own life.
Mr Charters said he had thought very hard about the topic “over a number of years”.
“As I have previously shared, I have long been in favour of reform in this area, which is a topic that people have deeply held beliefs on.
“I said that I would reserve judgement until the full bill has been published and having now read the full text, I have come to the decision that I will vote in favour of this bill.”
By contrast, Ms Maskell urged a complete rewrite of the bill, stating that, “any MP who does their proper job of scrutinising legislation would realise that this law is not fit for purpose”.
She also feels the risk of coercion is far too likely with the current safeguards in place.
Mr Charters, however, believes the safeguards in the bill are strong enough.
He added: “With controls such as: two independent doctors being satisfied that the person is eligible, a high court judge hearing from at least one of the doctors, and the bill making it illegal for anyone to pressure someone into making the declaration, I am satisfied that sufficient safeguards have been put in place.
“I want to reiterate that any change to the law must have rigorous safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals and ensure that any decisions with such consequences are made out of choice.”
MPs are set to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday 29 November.
What are your thoughts on making assisted dying legal? Let us know via info@yorkmix.com.