Former MP Advocates for Assisted Dying Following Mother’s Experience

A former Member of Parliament stated that his 79-year-old mother utilized assisted dying legislation in an Australian state to “be in control of her death.” Julian Huppert, an academic and former Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge from 2010 to 2015, shared his views during the week when Members of Parliament are scheduled to discuss the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Commons. He informed BBC Politics East that his mother, psychology professor Felicia Huppert, passed away at her residence in New South Wales in August of this year, following the spread of her breast cancer to her bones and brain. Mr. Huppert commented: “I don’t think we should deprive people of the right to choose to die with dignity for people who want to do that.” He further stated: “My mother Felicia was an amazing person in terms of so many ways. She was also an adventurer. She loved to climb mountains when she was younger.” “My brother (Rowan) and I were incredibly close to her. Mum had breast cancer about 12 years ago. She was treated here at Addenbrooke’s [hospital in Cambridge].” “She moved back to Australia, where she’d grown up, a couple of years ago. “The cancer metastasized and went into her bones and into the brain and then spread into the stomach.” “It became clear there was nothing medical science could do, so my mother was absolutely delighted when she found out, while she was still in hospital, that voluntary assisted dying as it is called there has been allowed in New South Wales.” The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act in the state became effective in November 2023. Eligibility for this requires an individual to be in the advanced stages of a progressive disease, illness, or medical condition. Mr. Huppert stated: “She was so pleased to discover that she could actively have the chance to be in control of her death rather than having it forced on her by her disease and she went through the process. “She had to be approved by two doctors and a medical board.” “My mother wanted to end things when she could decide how to say goodbye to people and who to say goodbye too.”She could die in the comfort of her bed and she could say the last things she wanted to say to her grandchildren – We chose the last music she wanted to listen too.” He further remarked: “I understand why people are concerned but I don’t think we should deprive people of the right to choose to die with dignity for people who want to do that. “Nobody should be forced into this but equally nobody should be deprived of it.” Tom Hunt, who previously served as the Conservative MP for Ipswich and is a member of Right To Life UK, indicated that if he were still a Member of Parliament, he would oppose the bill. He expressed concerns that it would not adequately safeguard vulnerable individuals from “feeling coerced” into prematurely ending their lives, believing the process has been rushed and leaves too many questions unresolved. “I do not believe the safeguards are adequate,” he stated. “This bill is aimed to stop people being coerced into taking this option but stopping coercion in practice is a really hard thing to do.” BBC Politics East is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, November 24, at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will subsequently be accessible on BBC iPlayer. For updates on Cambridgeshire news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.