Liberal Democrat (UK) leader is skeptical about assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Faith Ridler reported for Sky News (UK) on September 16, 2024 that: 

Sir Ed Davey

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is 'sceptical' of the case for assisted dying for 'quite personal' reasons. Ridler reported that during an interview with Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates, Davey stated that MP's must deeply and carefully listen to all sides of the debate, considering it's outcome. Davey also urged MP's not to rush a vote on assisted suicide.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, won a majority government in the last election. Starmer, who is a long-time supporter of assisted suicide, stated that he may fast-track legislation to legalize assisted suicide.

Ridler reported that Davey told Coates in an interview that:

He said: "My concerns are both quite personal. I asked my mother as a teenager when she was dying of bone cancer. And I saw someone with a very painful disease."

The Liberal Democrat leader said that through nursing and palliative care "she was able to enjoy life and be with us".

Separately, Sir Ed has concerns about the pressure legalising assisted dying could place on elderly people.

He said this wouldn't "necessarily" be from relatives, but "from the inside, internally, which they may not express".

Ridler stated that Sir Ed Davey is a skeptic concerning assisted suicide and believes that any vote on the issue must be a free vote.

Ridler pointed out that Scotland's Liberal Democrat MSP, Liam McArthur, is leading efforts to change the law in Scotland with a private member's bill on the issue.

Governments in the UK need to examine the experience with Canada's euthanasia law and outright reject legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide.