On Friday, MPs look set to vote for the final time on the assisted dying bill, which would allow terminally ill patients in England and Wales to be assisted to end their lives provided their life expectancy is thought to be six months or less and certain other conditions are met
Many MPs have already told of being moved to support the bill after hearing heartbreaking stories that inspire a desire for a simple, compassionate solution to reduce pain and suffering at the end of life.
Yet as a palliative care doctor, I see a far more complex and troubling reality. My clinical experience – supported by evidence from countries where assisted dying is legal – is that the desire to hasten death is rarely driven by uncontrollable pain. More often, it arises when people feel stripped of autonomy and dignity or are made to feel that they are a burden.
