Saturday, 12 September 2015
Defeat of the Marris Assisted Dying Bill – some reflections on how MPs voted
The Assisted Dying (No 2) Bill of Labour MP Rob Marris was the eleventh attempt in twelve years to legalise assisted suicide through British Parliaments.
But its overwhelming defeat yesterday (11 September 2015) by a margin of
212 votes (330 to 118) should settle this matter for a decade.
It is striking (and indeed fitting) that this happened the very day after World Suicide Prevention Day. The bill now cannot proceed further. It is dead.
It is striking (and indeed fitting) that this happened the very day after World Suicide Prevention Day. The bill now cannot proceed further. It is dead.
There is clearly no chance at all of a similar bill passing through the
Commons in the current parliament and even in the (now) unlikely event
of a Labour victory in 2020 it is virtually inconceivable that the views
of MPs will change enough to make it likely in the next parliament
either.
MPs dealt the bill a resounding defeat largely driven by concerns about
the risks it posed to vulnerable people who would have felt under
pressure to end their lives so as not to be a burden to family,
relatives, caregivers or a society short of resources. Six in ten who
die under a similar law in Washington State US give this reason.
Overall 74% of MPs voted against the bill, a proportion almost identical
to the 72% who opposed the last bill of its kind in the House of
Commons in 1997. So there has been essentially no shift in parliamentary
opinion in the last 20 years.
Rob Marris conceded in a BBC interview after the debate that he did not
foresee another attempt in the Commons in this parliament and in fact
called on the government to invest more in palliative care, a move which
I would strongly support. Patients whose symptoms are properly
controlled do not generally want help to kill themselves.
You can read the full four hour parliamentary debate on Hansard and see reaction to the result on you tube along with my comments on what it means.
The Daily Mail has also given a full list of how MPs voted by party which I have reproduced below.
Overall out of 650 MPs, a total of 448 took part in the vote.
118 MPs supported the bill (27 Conservative, 72 Labour, 14 SNP, 3 Lib Dem and 1 Green).
330 voted against it (210 Conservative, 91 Labour, 11 SNP, 3 Lib Dem, 1 UKIP, 8 DUP, 3 SDLP, 1 Independent).
Here are some preliminary quick reflections on how people voted.
1. This was a huge (almost unprecedented) turnout considering this was a
private member’s bill debate on a Friday when most MPs would be
expected to be in their local constituencies. It is a measure of how
important they considered the issue to be.
2. Over half of all MPs (330) voted against it meaning that it would have been defeated even if all 650 MPs had been present.
3. More Labour MPs (91) voted against the bill than supported it (72)
and the SNP and Lib Dems were more or less evenly split. This is hugely
significant as it signals that assisted suicide is not a simple
left/right political issue. In fact suicide prevention and protection of
vulnerable people from exploitation and abuse resonate strongly with
left wing politicians.
4. Most party leaders did not vote. Prime Minister David Cameron
(Conservative) was not present. Nor was Tim Farron (Lib Dem), Angus
Robertson (SNP) or Jeremy Corbyn (Labour). However all four had
previously signalled their opposition to the bill.
5. Former Labour leaders and Blairites generally supported the bill.
These included former Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Leader (and
recently acting Leader) Harriet Harman.
6. Medically qualified MPs were generally strongly opposed, notably
former cabinet minister Liam Fox (Conservative), Sarah Woollaston
(Conservative) and SNP health spokesperson Philippa Whitford.
7. Many current cabinet ministers opposed the Bill including Theresa May
(Home Secretary), Michael Fallon (Defence), Michael Gove (Lord
Chancellor), Iain Duncan Smith (Work and Pensions), Jeremy Hunt
(Health), Chris Grayling (Leader of the House of Commons), Justine
Greening (International Development), Patrick McLoughlin (Transport),
Theresa Villiers (Northern Ireland), Stephen Crabb (Wales), Oliver
Letwin (Duchy of Lancaster), David Mundell (Scotland), Robert Halfon
(without portfolio), Greg Hands (Treasury), Mark Harper (Chief Whip)
and Jeremy Wright (Attorney General).
8. Other prominent MPs who opposed the bill included former London Mayor
Boris Johnson, former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, former Attorney
General Dominic Grieve, former Conservative cabinet ministers Eric
Pickles and Peter Bottomley and former Labour Cabinet ministers Alan
Johnson and David Lammy.
9. Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keir Starmer, now a Labour MP, voted in favour of the bill. Perhaps this explains his apparent reluctance to prosecute people whilst in office. It will certainly raise further discussion about whether or not his published prosecution criteria amounted to stealth legalisation.
9. Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keir Starmer, now a Labour MP, voted in favour of the bill. Perhaps this explains his apparent reluctance to prosecute people whilst in office. It will certainly raise further discussion about whether or not his published prosecution criteria amounted to stealth legalisation.
re number 9:
Is this what they are doing in BC re illegal DNRs resulting in death: not prosecuting doctors. There has to be others besides me who have complained about illegel DNRs.
