Over 135 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from across Yorkshire have signed an open letter urging MPs to vote against the proposed assisted suicide bill when it returns to Parliament in September, warning that it does not provide adequate safeguards for vulnerable patients.
The letter, published in the Yorkshire Post, argues that regardless of differing personal views on assisted suicide, the proposed legislation is “not safe for patients” and calls instead for greater investment in palliative and hospice care.
Addressed to Yorkshire MPs, the signatories say they are “deeply concerned” by the reintroduction of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which is expected to receive its Second Reading in the House of Commons on September 11.
The legislation, introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, is largely identical to the assisted suicide bill previously brought forward by Kim Leadbeater.
Although that bill cleared the House of Commons, it failed to become law after running out of parliamentary time during scrutiny in the House of Lords.
The healthcare professionals say concerns about the latest bill are shared by several leading medical organisations, including the British Medical Association (BMA) which, at its annual meeting in June, declared that “assisted dying is not a medical treatment” and should not alter the founding principles of the NHS. The BMA also said that doctors should not be required to participate, and that, if legalised, provision of assisted suicides should operate independently from the NHS.
The letter also references warnings from the Royal College of Physicians, which has cautioned that Parliament risks “failing to protect vulnerable patients and uphold the integrity of clinical practice”. The Royal College of Psychiatrists, it notes, says there remain “too many unanswered questions” about protecting people with mental illness, while the British Geriatrics Society has said the bill lacks “sufficient safeguards for older people”.
The signatories argue that introducing assisted suicide while end-of-life care remains under pressure would place further strain on an already stretched system.
“Our NHS is fragile, under immense pressure, and palliative care access is inequitable and woefully inadequate,” they wrote.
They highlight the financial challenges facing hospices across Yorkshire, noting that many rely heavily on charitable fundraising to continue operating.
They also point to shortages in community palliative care services and unequal access to specialist care, particularly for people living with dementia or learning disabilities, and people from rural areas and minority communities. The letter warns that these groups risk being further disadvantaged if the legislation becomes law.
“This Bill fails the most vulnerable in our society,” the letter states. “Healthcare should protect the vulnerable. Society should protect the vulnerable. Law should protect the vulnerable.”
Instead of legalising assisted suicide, the group calls on MPs to prioritise improving access to palliative and hospice care, and raising standards.
They concluded: “Genuine choice at the end of life can only be possible if people have consistent access to high-quality compassionate care. At present, too many people do not. We are failing our society by denying them that care, and we would fail them again by offering an assisted death before ensuring that proper end-of-life care is available to all.”
The letter adds to the opposition already expressed by Christian groups. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has branded the legislation “deeply flawed” and said that proposed safeguards against coercion are inadequate. Christian think tank CARE called the bill’s reintroduction after failing in the previous parliamentary session a “democratic outrage”, and warned the bill could increase pressure on vulnerable people. They are urging MPs to vote against it when it returns to the Commons in September.
