Assisted dying: Majority of public think debate has been rushed, poll finds

A majority of the public think the debate on assisted dying has been rushed, a poll has found.

According to a DeltaPoll survey for Sky News, 60% of those questioned said "more information" was needed for people to make up their minds on whether it should be legal.

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On average, the public say MPs should have four months to scrutinise the proposal - in reality they have had just three.

And while 62% support the bill overall, the majority (70%) were concerned disabled people could be encouraged to seek assisted dying against their will.

On Friday, a proposal to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales was backed by a majority of MPs, paving the way for a change in the law.

The bill would allow terminally ill adults with six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their own lives.

The survey by DeltaPoll was carried out between 22 and 25 November, a few days before the historic vote.

The findings mirror concerns that have been raised by MPs and campaigners regarding the timing and safeguards of the legislation.

One of the main arguments against it is that it could lead to vulnerable and disabled people feeling like a burden on society, and that assistance to die should not be easier to access than assistance to live.

Labour MP Diane Abbott, who is one of the bill's most vocal critics, told the Commons during Friday's debate: "If this bill passes, we will have the NHS as a fully-funded 100% suicide service but palliative care will only be funded at 30% at best."

There are also fears about a "slippery slope" - that while the bill in its current form applies to terminally ill adults, it could widen over time to include people with incurable conditions or disabilities.

Labour's Kim Leadbeater, who has brought forward the bill, has insisted this won't be the case, saying her legislation has the most robust safeguards of any assisted dying laws in the world.

That includes two independent doctors and a High Court judge having to approve the request, and a maximum 14-year jail term for anyone found to have coerced someone into seeking assisted dying.

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Friday's vote means the bill will now undergo various stages of scrutiny, with both houses of parliament needing to approve it if it is to ultimately become law.

MPs will be able to suggest amendments to the legislation when it moves into its next step, the committee stage, at a date which is yet to be announced.

Some who backed the bill have already indicated they could consider changing their mind along the process amid concerns over palliative care provision and safeguarding.

Senior Conservative MP Sir David Davis told the Commons debate on Friday that while he supported the aim of the bill parliament needs more time "to get this right".

"I'm going to vote for it today, but I want the government to help me be able to vote for a good bill at the end of this," he said.

Also, Labour MP Chris Webb suggested his position may change as the plans move through the process, saying that while he believed the bill "deserved to progress" through parliament for further scrutiny, he "will consider my position again in the ensuing stages".

(c) Sky News 2024: Assisted dying: Majority of public think debate has been rushed, poll finds