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| Back assisted dying, MPs urged by campaigner's friend | Back assisted dying, MPs urged by campaigner's friend |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A friend of a terminal cancer patient who went to Switzerland to end his life has urged MPs to legalise assisted dying. | A friend of a terminal cancer patient who went to Switzerland to end his life has urged MPs to legalise assisted dying. |
| Bob Cole, 68, who lived in Blaenau Ffestiniog, died in August at a clinic in Zurich where his wife died in 2014. | Bob Cole, 68, who lived in Blaenau Ffestiniog, died in August at a clinic in Zurich where his wife died in 2014. |
| Family friend Pryderi ap Rhisiart said people who were suffering should be allowed to choose when to die. | Family friend Pryderi ap Rhisiart said people who were suffering should be allowed to choose when to die. |
| He spoke as MPs prepared to debate a proposed law on assisted dying in the House of Commons on Friday. | |
| Wolverhampton Labour MP Rob Marris is proposing competent adults who are terminally ill should be able to choose to be provided with medically supervised assistance to end their own life. | Wolverhampton Labour MP Rob Marris is proposing competent adults who are terminally ill should be able to choose to be provided with medically supervised assistance to end their own life. |
| It follows the failure of a similar bill proposed by Lord Falconer which ran out of time in the last parliament, and needs the support of 100 MPs on Friday to stand a chance of becoming law in England and Wales. | It follows the failure of a similar bill proposed by Lord Falconer which ran out of time in the last parliament, and needs the support of 100 MPs on Friday to stand a chance of becoming law in England and Wales. |
| Under current UK law, anyone encouraging or assisting a suicide or suicide attempt could face up to 14 years in prison, if a decision was taken to prosecute. | Under current UK law, anyone encouraging or assisting a suicide or suicide attempt could face up to 14 years in prison, if a decision was taken to prosecute. |
| Mr Cole, originally from Manchester, was diagnosed in June with mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by asbestos. | Mr Cole, originally from Manchester, was diagnosed in June with mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by asbestos. |
| His wife Ann Hall died at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich in February 2014 after suffering from the degenerative brain condition, supranuclear palsy. | His wife Ann Hall died at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich in February 2014 after suffering from the degenerative brain condition, supranuclear palsy. |
| Mr ap Rhisiart, a family friend, said terminally ill people should be allowed the choice to "die with dignity" in their home community and not be forced to travel overseas to end their lives as Mr Cole had done. | Mr ap Rhisiart, a family friend, said terminally ill people should be allowed the choice to "die with dignity" in their home community and not be forced to travel overseas to end their lives as Mr Cole had done. |
| "He could have passed away in the comfort of his own home, his own bed with family and friends around him," he said. | "He could have passed away in the comfort of his own home, his own bed with family and friends around him," he said. |
| "Being able to do that in his home town where people care about him, with his friends, it could have made a world of difference." | "Being able to do that in his home town where people care about him, with his friends, it could have made a world of difference." |
| The issue has sparked fierce debate. | The issue has sparked fierce debate. |
| Cardiff Central Labour MP Jo Stevens said she planned to vote in favour of the bill, having been inspired after meeting right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy. | Cardiff Central Labour MP Jo Stevens said she planned to vote in favour of the bill, having been inspired after meeting right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy. |
| "This is not about forcing people, this isn't about coercion - this is about allowing people a choice," said Ms Stevens. | "This is not about forcing people, this isn't about coercion - this is about allowing people a choice," said Ms Stevens. |
| 'Different value' | 'Different value' |
| However, Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies said he would oppose the bill, claiming it could result in the "normalisation" of suicide. | However, Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies said he would oppose the bill, claiming it could result in the "normalisation" of suicide. |
| "[It's] putting a different value on the lives of severely disabled, the frail, elderly, seriously mentally ill," he said. | "[It's] putting a different value on the lives of severely disabled, the frail, elderly, seriously mentally ill," he said. |
| "We've never put a different value on anybody's life and this would be the first time ever." | "We've never put a different value on anybody's life and this would be the first time ever." |
| Baroness Ilora Finlay, a former adviser to the Welsh government on palliative care, claimed the bill was "too dangerous" and "really close to euthanasia", warning that diagnoses can be wrong. | Baroness Ilora Finlay, a former adviser to the Welsh government on palliative care, claimed the bill was "too dangerous" and "really close to euthanasia", warning that diagnoses can be wrong. |
| "I've been with people who have seemed to be in absolute despair and I've seen them turn round and say 'I never believed I could feel so well again'," she said. | "I've been with people who have seemed to be in absolute despair and I've seen them turn round and say 'I never believed I could feel so well again'," she said. |
| Paralympic champion Baroness Grey-Thompson claimed some disabled people could feel "pressured" into considering ending their lives. | Paralympic champion Baroness Grey-Thompson claimed some disabled people could feel "pressured" into considering ending their lives. |
| "Already, when you have a disability, certain people assume that your life is undignified, people imagine you might be better off dead, which is simply not true," she said. | "Already, when you have a disability, certain people assume that your life is undignified, people imagine you might be better off dead, which is simply not true," she said. |
| But Antony Lempert, a family doctor in Knighton, Powys, believes the law must change to legalise assisted dying. | But Antony Lempert, a family doctor in Knighton, Powys, believes the law must change to legalise assisted dying. |
| "As a GP I believe that people who are suffering unbearably with no realistic prospect of relief should have the right to control the manner and timing of their deaths subject to robust safeguards. | "As a GP I believe that people who are suffering unbearably with no realistic prospect of relief should have the right to control the manner and timing of their deaths subject to robust safeguards. |
| "An assisted dying law would mean that two independent doctors and a High Court judge would have to be satisfied that all the eligibility criteria have been met in order for someone to have an assisted death." | "An assisted dying law would mean that two independent doctors and a High Court judge would have to be satisfied that all the eligibility criteria have been met in order for someone to have an assisted death." |