Why the Assisted Dying Bill Should Have Passed

BBC

The Assisted Dying Bill, a very controversial issue that was debated in parliament a week ago failed to pass through the commons. The bill was refused and the introduction of euthanasia will not be coming to the UK as soon as supporters hoped.

There are many arguments for and against assisted dying, euthanasia, making the issue very controversial. An argument against would have been the fact that the ill person could feel a burden on the family and would want to end their lives for that reason, the burden could be based on financial issues or social issues. Other arguments include the impact that euthanasia would have on hospices, if the bill became law an huge amounts of hospices would shut down leaving the people who do not want to be euthanised in a hard situation. Lastly the belief sancity of life played a key role in why the bill was not passed. Christians and Muslims alike believe that life is holy and only God has the right to take it away, not you or another being. Another argument against it is that people may feel under pressure to go through assisted dying if they feel they are a burden to others; some believe it may be abused.

There are however equally as many arguments for the bill as there are against it. An argument for the bill would be that people would want to die a dignified and pain free death if they are terminally ill and in incredible amounts of pain not a death that is painful and long. People also argue against sancity of life saying that quality of life is more important. Christians and Muslims are also split between sancity and quality of life. Quality of life is the belief that your life should be enjoyable and fun not painful and bed bound, they believe that God would want you to live an enjoyable and fun life not a miserable and painful one. Lastly there have been no recorded cases of forced euthanasia upon the elderly or terminal ill for 50 years, this disproves the argument that it will be used to 'kill off' family members and 'loved' ones.

In conclusion I feel strongly about this situation and believe that the bill should have been passed in the House of Commons. This is because I am an strong believer in quality of life as opposed to sancity of life. I believe that 'God' would want you to live a pain free and enjoyable life, not a miserable painful one.

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By: Joshua May, I am an political writer and activist who supports old Labour greatly, @JoshuaMayLabour