Hexham MP renews call for legalisation of assisted dying

Guy Opperman has urged the Government to legalise assisted dying ahead of a debate on the issue in Parliament on Monday 29 April. 

Mr Opperman has been a longstanding campaigner for legalising assisted dying since he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011.

His experience meeting fellow patients while he was receiving medical treatment convinced the MP of the need to change the law, so terminally ill patients who are suffering can have the choice to end their own life. 

The debate in Westminster Hall comes after 200,000 people signed a petition calling on the Government to change the law to allow terminally ill people who are mentally sound to be able to end their suffering and end their own life. 

The issue has shot up the agenda in recent weeks, following the intervention of former journalist Esther Rantzen, who has stage four cancer and has taken the decision to fly to Dignitas in Zurich, to end her own life. 

 Mr Opperman said: "I believe in the life of your choice. And the death of your choice. 

"I am a one nation Conservative, and a former senior crown prosecutor. But I do seek the major change that is legislation for assisted dying I do so out of personal experience, having recovered from 2 operations to remove a brain tumour in 2011. Many in my NHS ward did not make it.

"Many died a long and painful death. If I were not one of the lucky ones after surgery, I would have wanted to end my life on my terms. 

"I collapsed in central lobby of the House of Commons. An ambulance was called and took me to St Thomas’ Hospital on the other side of Westminster Bridge. I was seen to by a young doctor on the overnight shift. The medic called for a head scan. Thankfully, I recovered, but I met many others on that long and painful journey who did not. 

"If I had not made a recovery, I would have wanted the option to take my own life, if the quality of that life was so poor.

"I could afford to be driven 1000s of miles to Switzerland and pay to end my life at the Dignitas Clinic. Others cannot afford that. So we have one law for the reasonably affluent and one law for those without funds. That cannot be right. 

"Of course I believe in palliative care. And as a Christian I am conscious of the importance of my faith. And as a former criminal lawyer of course I want very strict safeguards. But we would never let our pets suffer as we insist by law that some humans suffer in their final days. The law needs to change.

"It is the humane and right thing to have the option of assisted dying available in this country."