John Harris

Britain is stuck in the mud when it comes to making hard decisions

No one in Britain really saw it coming, but here we are, in the midst of what passes for a watershed debate about assisted dying, centred on the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, and the huge moral and practical questions that swirl around it. The news has been full of the views of people who can speak loudly enough to be heard: three former directors of public prosecutions (in favour), a former archbishop of Canterbury (ditto) and the healthcare professionals grouped into the Association for Palliative Medicine (against, because allowing assisted dying risks ignoring “the lack of adequately funded specialist palliative care services”). Meanwhile, Leadbeater’s backers stick to their basic point: that after years of failed legislation and awful human suffering, the bill opens…

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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 25 October 2024

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