‘My mother in law died a horrendous death after not being able to eat or drink for a week’ - why I'm voting in favour of assisted dying by Lee Barron MP

We choose when to bring children into the world. We choose a university or apprenticeship we want. We choose our jobs and careers. We choose a partner, where to live and when to retire.

We can even choose a funeral plan. The one thing we have no say over is one of the most important parts of life. How we die.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated by MPs on Friday (November 29).

This would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life. To do so, the individual must be deemed to have the mental capacity to make the choice and to have expressed a clear informed wish, free from coercion or pressure; must be expected to die within six months; will require two independent doctors to approve the decision and a High Court judge to hear from one of the doctors.

My personal experiences have shaped my support for assisted dying. When terminally ill, my mother-in-law was denied food and water due to the requirements of her condition. After food and water were taken away, she went onto live for over a week, deteriorating massively and experiencing a horrendous end of life.

No one should have to experience this.

In truth I am disappointed with this Bill in its current form. I believe that those in pain at the very end of their life should be able to take the advice of medical professional to put an end that suffering. This Bill is designed to have the strictest possible safeguards, and while that may slow down the process, I believe it takes steps in the right direction to allow us to have the important debate on assisted dying.

There is concern that assisted dying could target the most vulnerable in society, who feel that they are burdensome on their families. I will not support any Bill that does not guarantee the safety of the most vulnerable. It is important to me that assisted dying should not replace high-quality palliative and end-of-life care.

Meanwhile, the current law provides no safeguards for the most vulnerable and for those facing a terminal illness. Everyone deserves dignity in dying, and for me this means more than the way in which you die.

This also means ensuring those facing terminal illness do not die in poverty and in fear of losing their job. Disgracefully, it is still legal in this country to sack a worker with a terminal diagnosis on the grounds of ‘capability’.

Worrying about your job at the end of your life is not a dignified way to die. Most employers do the right thing and protect those workers, but we must come down on employers who don’t.

It is fundamentally wrong, and I will be working to put an end to that loophole.

It is time for change, and that will start by supporting the End of Life Bill.