The Assisted Dying Bill
Letter of Concern to Sarah Gibson, Liberal Democrat MP, Chippenham Constituency
14 June 2025
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for being upfront on
how you voted in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, it has left my friends, and I
rather confused and conflicted as to your logic presented and a gap in
understanding as to why you voted for the Bill.
Firstly though, I need to relay
that we are all made in the image of God, He loves us, and we have innate value
and reason to be created. We are (mostly) the fruits of a loving
relationship (however fleeting) between a Father and Mother. There is
significant time and cost to raise up a child, encouraging it to be a good
citizen of our community and this knowledge should be shared more often and
widely.
Your decision is inferred as a
reflection of your views on the constituency of Chippenham, and I can only say
leaves me with significant concerns as to your leadership of the >70k
electorate, devaluing our existence down to a mere a £x. That it is more
convenient to offer a premature end of life rather than address the needs of
those suffering and in need of specialist care. I see no recognition from
you on the need to explore the reason for the Bill in the first place which
comes down to the quality of our life and existence in present time.
The real discussion that should
be taking place is regarding end-of-life care and the quality of life in
general. We are evermore becoming a country that is relying on the state
to provide for us. We are evermore becoming a society that is insular.
We are evermore becoming a society with poor mental health. I’m finding
the treatments oft put in place to overcome these ills create worse outcomes
with ever increasing levels of loneliness and depression. The
victimisation of our society does not create a strong healthy community that
looks out for others but in fact embeds an ever-greater environment of ego,
individuality and the focus on ‘I’.
An anecdote from a friend after
a funeral for someone that committed suicide couldn’t help recognise the
selfishness of these actions – that in making life easier for himself through
suicide, he had created a wave of heartache for his fiancé, parents, siblings,
neighbours, friends, the community, all that turned up to his funeral – the
only appropriate response to this is why is this taking place? Why is
suicide the norm? Why is depression so prevalent (especially in men) in
comparison to 20+ years ago?
A further friend noted that
growing older or becoming seriously ill and a burden in this country is already
a frightening thought for many, how much easier for government therefore to
offer/allow an end to such suffering and not provide the decency of loving,
respectful end of life care to all those in need. This before going on to
explain her experience accessing hospice care for her terminally ill mother and
being blessed to receive one of ten beds in the hospice and spending the
remaining few days with her at peace with love, care, attention and the respect
we as humans should receive but we are not all fortunate to access.
During pre-war planning of WWII,
the British government anticipated a significant increase in mental illness in
response to the impact of the devastation and bombing of London. When the
first siren sounded citizens were noticeably scared, traversing the steps,
anticipating annihilation when hearing the destruction overhead and staying in
the shelter for an extended period after the all clear signal sounded, getting
back to life safe but apprehensive. The second alarm goes off, anxiety
kicks in again, they go to the shelter hearing the destruction overhead and
when the all clear sounds they again wait slightly longer just to be safe – but
they’ve survived. By the 3rd instance they know the routine, they
expect the rubble but overall they’ve evidence of twice surviving the bombings.
There is the possibility of death but ultimately, they also see
life. They learn to find ways to carry on having fun through these dark
times – learning mortality but also learning life.
I see a clear destruction of
humanity within our existence – we have been created for a reason – it is not
death, and we shouldn’t be encouraging that narrative within our day-to-day
conversations.
My question to you Sarah is: -
· What are you doing to encourage
life?
· What are you doing to consider
the purpose of why we are here on this Earth and what your role is to play?
· As someone that is seriously
ill, has this been a consideration that has encouraged your decision?
· Are we merely an inconvenience
and an expense that can easily be avoided?
Best regards
Violette
Member of Reform UK
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