A celebrity doctor has thrown his support behind a bill which could make assisted dying legal for the terminally ill.
Dr Hilary Jones, who often appears on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, warned medicine will go ‘back to the dark ages’ if MPs vote down the bill.
The House of Commons is set to vote on The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday, with MPs likely to consider further amendments.
Right now the bill, which only applies to England and Wales, means terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, with approval needed from two doctors and the expert panel.
Earlier this year, the Isle of Man became the first part of the British Isles to legalise assisted dying, joining several other countries across the world.
Last month, MPs approved a change to ensure no medics would be obliged to take part in assisted dying, which has been extended to include anyone including pharmacists and social care workers.
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Dr Jones called assisted dying for the terminally ill ‘kind and compassionate’, and said he would help a patient to end their life if the law is passed.
The doctor, who has been practising medicine for more than 45 years and spent time working on cancer wards during his career, said he has ‘always supported it (assisted dying)’.
He added: ‘I’ve always felt it is the most humane, kind and compassionate thing that relatives and doctors can provide, knowing that that person’s wishes are respected and known, that there is full mental capacity and that they’re surrounded by love.
‘And for me, it’s always been very clear.’
Asked if, were the law to change, he would help someone who had chosen assisted dying, he said: ‘Absolutely, if I know the patient, I know what their wishes are, I see them suffering, and there’s nothing more I can do to help their suffering then, absolutely, I would hold their hand and help them achieve what they want to achieve.’
Right now, encouraging or assisting suicide is illegal with a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, meaning medics are currently ‘looking over their shoulders because of the legal repercussions of the law’ as it stands.
Dr Jones explained: ‘It will relieve healthcare professionals who deal with terminal illness.
‘There are wonderful people who are caring and compassionate, who just live in fear of their actions being misinterpreted, of being accused of wrongdoing, and because of that fear, people at the end of life are often undertreated.
‘People are looking over their shoulder because of the medications they’re using or the doses they’re using, it means that patients aren’t getting the best palliative care that they could have.
‘And I think the bill, if it passes, will alleviate a great deal of that, and put people’s minds at rest that they’re not going to suffer unnecessarily at the end of life.’
Some medical colleges have raised concerns over the bill, with the Royal College of Physicians saying it believes there are ‘concerning deficiencies’, while the Royal College of Psychiatrists said it has ‘serious concerns’.
Other opponents to the bill say MPs should focus on improving end-of-life care rather than making assisted dying legal.
But Dr Jones said his mother, who was a nurse and died ‘suffering unnecessarily’ despite the ‘best possible palliative care’ would be ‘proud of me speaking on this subject now, in the way I am’.
He said he respects different ‘religious beliefs, cultural beliefs and personal feelings’ in being opposed to assisted dying, but added: ‘The bottom line is that I think it’s the patient’s individual choice.
‘I think we should respect the right of the individual to choose what they want. This is not a mandatory thing. This is not being imposed on anybody.
‘And I think people should have the individual right to make a decision about how they end their life if they’ve got a terminal illness where there’s no prospect of cure and they’re suffering and they fear an undignified death.’
Asked about the prospect of the Bill being voted down by MPs, Dr Jones said: ‘We would be back to square one, back to the Dark Ages, in my opinion, medically, and that would be a shame.
‘I don’t think we would be advancing medicine if the bill is not passed.’
Dr Gillian Wright is a spokesperson for Our Duty Of Care, a group of healthcare professionals campaigning against the bill.
She said: ‘If someone has not had access to palliative care, psychological support or social care, then are they making a true choice?
‘At a time when the NHS is on its knees, when palliative are social care are struggling and our amazing hospices are having to close beds and cut services because of lack of money, as someone who has cared for people at the end of life, I would urge MPs to vote against this bill but instead invest in excellent specialist palliative care, social care and psychological support.’
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