Assisted dying is ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, says justice secretary
Labour grandee Lord Falconer has hit back at Shabana Mahmood, saying she was ‘wrong’ to say the safeguards in the proposed new law were not enough
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Your support makes all the difference.The Justice Secretary has sparked a row over assisted dying after she said the state should “never offer death as a service”.
In a letter to constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” by the proposed legislation, ahead of a historic Commons vote this week.
Ms Mahmood said her concerns were not just for religious reasons but because it could create a “slippery slope towards death on demand”.
But her latest comments have triggered a row within her party, with Labour’s former justice secretary Lord Falconer saying Ms Mahmood was “wrong” to say the safeguards in the assisted dying bill were not enough.
He told Sky News: “I think she’s motivated by religious belief- which I respect- but it shouldn’t be imposed on everyone else."
She has previously made clear she would vote against the bill alongside health secretary Wes Streeting, who faced a backlash after suggesting the changes would cost the NHS more.
In her letter to voters, first reported by The Observer, she said: “Sadly, recent scandals – such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon – have reminded us that the state and those acting on its behalf are not always benign.
“I have always held the view that, for this reason, the state should serve a clear role. It should protect and preserve life, not take it away. The state should never offer death as a service.”
She added that “the greatest risk of all is the pressure the elderly, vulnerable, sick or disabled may place upon themselves”.
The backbench Labour MP who has introduced the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said Ms Mahmood was a “good friend” but “good friends don’t always agree”.
The justice secretary’s intervention comes despite a letter from cabinet secretary Simon Case last month outlining that ministers should remain neutral on the issue and avoid taking part in public debate.
Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether he will back the bill, arguing that he does not want to pressure MPs. As the issue is seen as a matter of conscience, MPs will be given a free vote to act according to their personal beliefs, rather than in line with party policy.
However, prominent figures including former prime minister Gordon Brown have voiced opposition to the legislation, insisting that better end-of-life care is needed instead. Ms Mahmood, Mr Streeting and the education secretary Bridget Phillipson have all said they will vote against the bill while care minister Stephen Kinnock said he supports it.
Supporters say the current law to respect patient choice and means rich people can afford to travel abroad to end their lives while others cannot.
Ms Leadbeater has described her bill as the most “robust” in the world, with “three layers of scrutiny” in the form of a sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge.
It would also make coercion an offence - with a possible punishment of 14 years in jail.
The bill, which covers England and Wales, would only apply to terminally ill adults with less than six months to live. In response to Ms Mahmood’s comments, Ms Leadbeater said: “Shabana is a good friend and I have the utmost respect for her but good friends don’t always agree.
“I recognise her sincerity and her compassion and fully respect her belief in the sanctity of life but the other points she raises have been made on a number of occasions and I have answered them in the thorough drafting and presentation of the bill.
“The strict eligibility criteria make it very clear that we are only talking about people who are already dying.”
She added: “The bill would give dying people the autonomy, dignity and choice to shorten their death if they wish. “