Stevenage MP Kevin Bonavia has voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which was debated in the House of Commons today.
Following the vote, Mr Bonavia has penned a letter to residents explaining is reasons. In the letter, he states his "conscience always leans towards individual choice".
It was the second reading of the bill, which would make assisted dying legal for terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months, and have the mental capacity, to choose how they end their lives
The ayes in support of the bill was 330, and those against were 275. The bill will now proceed to its next Commons stage.
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The Stevenage MP's letter reads: "I have been acutely aware of the serious responsibility placed on me as an individual Member of Parliament to exercise not only my personal conscience but also my personal judgement.
"I want to thank the many hundreds of constituents from the bottom of my heart, who have contacted me with both deeply personal, harrowing stories and informative, evidential arguments to demonstrate their support and opposition to this bill.
"You have been critical to shaping my thinking on this emotive and impactful matter.
"I’ve heard from many medical, legal and other professionals, families, parents and relatives of those affected by terminal illness and the positions of many interests in society, including religious faiths, disability groups and advocates for marginalised groups.
"All of this has helped to test my conscience and exercise my judgement."
BREAKING: MPs have voted in favour of advancing legislation that would legalise assisted dying in a historic parliamentary vote
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Genuine choice
"First, my conscience always leans towards individual choice wherever that is possible.
"This leads to the view that if someone is terminally ill, they should be allowed to seek and receive assistance in ending their life in order to avoid pain and suffering.
"I also fully respect many of the religious arguments that I have heard, especially about the sanctity of life. That is why, while I support the concept of choice, I also strongly believe in everyone’s right not to exercise that choice for themselves by reason of their religious faith or otherwise.
"I also recognise that on this particular issue, the irreversible nature of death means that we need proper protections in place to ensure that every person seeking assistance to die has “a clear, settled and informed wish” in doing so ie it is a genuine choice. As such, we need appropriate safeguards to meet those three criteria before assistance to die can be given."
He went on to say that "the status quo must change" for those who are terminally ill, citing that "palliative care is patchy in availability".
"If assisted dying is legally permitted, this should take nothing away from the absolute need to improve palliative care," he said.
"In voting today to pass the Bill at its second reading, I hope it will now be tested and, where possible, improved.
"I will never take decisions like these lightly, and always look to my constituents who put me here to be a strong voice for the range of views, expertise and interests across our town and villages."
Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, and Chris Hinchliff, MP for North East Herts, both also voted in favour of the bill.
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