Watford MP Matt Turmaine was one of 330 MPs to vote in favour of assisted dying, as Parliament passed the bill following a historic and emotional debate.
Mr Turmaine had left constituents waiting for his decision after admitting he was undecided ahead of the vote.
Explaining his decision to back the bill, he said: "At the end of a long, powerful and emotional debate, I was ultimately persuaded that the agonising suffering experienced by some people which cannot be relieved through palliative care, together with robust legal frameworks the Bill puts in place, meant it could, to my mind, pass a Second Reading and move on to the next stage.
"As things stand, people currently have no legal choice. Terminally ill adults can either attempt to kill themselves here, travel to Dignitas if they have the money, or refuse medical treatment/starve themselves to death and I feel that needs to change."
Last week he held a 'town hall' meeting to help him decide on the issue - with MPs given a free pass to vote with their conscience, rather than follow a party line.
The panel included speakers for and against, including Ashkan Sarmadi, from the Derby Road Baptist Church, Dr Kathy Myers from ‘Care Not Killing’ opposing the measure, and Eric Angus and Liz Reed from ‘Dignity in Dying’ supporting the law change.
The MP described it as a "very informative evening" and noted that this was the issue he has received the most correspondence on since being elected to Parliament in July.
Following the vote, he added: "I fully recognise that there are sincere and genuine objections to the Bill on religious and other grounds and I have afforded those due weight and consideration in arriving at the decision I did. "
"Ultimately it was a difficult decision to reach, but I believe that the safeguards put in place will allow people who have the mental capacity to reach a decision as to how and when their life should end."
- Assisted dying bill: Watford MP asked how he will vote
- Watford MP on 'great responsibility' of assisted dying bill vote
After a five-hour debate in which emotions ran high, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed by 330 votes to 275 - a majority of 55.
The legislation will now proceed to the committee stage, before being scrutinised in the House of Lords. While not law yet, today's vote is a significant step towards assisted dying being legalised.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel