Wes Streeting votes against euthanasia amid concerns about end-of-life care | Politics News

Wes Streeting will vote against euthanasia because he fears end-of-life care is not good enough to allow people to make informed decisions.

As The Times first reported, the health secretary told backbenchers his position during a regular meeting on Monday, blaming the state of the NHS.

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This makes him the most prominent MP to oppose the legalization of euthanasia and the second cabinet minister to do so.

Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood also spoke out against it, saying that as a Muslim she had an “unwavering belief in the sanctity and value of human life.”

The proposal is backed by Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who wants to give terminally ill people the chance to end their lives.

Their Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was formally submitted to Parliament last week and is due to be debated and possibly voted on for the first time next month.

The representatives are given a free vote, which means they can decide according to their conscience and not according to party lines.

However, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has written to ministers saying that while they “do not have to deviate from previously expressed views on euthanasia when asked directly”, they should “use discretion and not participate in the public debate”.

Mr Streeting supported euthanasia when it was last debated in Parliament in 2015, but recently expressed doubts about changing the law.

In comments reported by The Sun at the weekend, he said: “The challenge is that I don’t think palliative care, end-of-life care, is good enough in this country to give people a real choice.”

“I worry about coercion and the risk that the right to die, especially for older people, feels like an obligation to die.”

The Health Minister’s comments are said to have had serious weight with some MPs who are still undecided.

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In addition to the issue of end-of-life care, critics such as the Archbishop of Canterbury have also raised concerns that legalizing euthanasia could lead to a “slippery slope” in expanding criteria.

Ms. Leadbeater has rejected this argument, She insisted her bill would only apply to terminally ill adults and with appropriate protections.

She told Sky News the legislation was about giving terminally ill people a choice. If they want to end their lives, their only options right now are “suicide, suffering or Switzerland,” she said.

The exact details of the proposed law – defining the circumstances that could make someone eligible – are not expected to be released until closer to the November 29 debate.

If the bill passes the first stage in the House of Commons, it will move to the committee stage, where MPs can table amendments, before it undergoes further consideration and voting in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

This means that a change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.

If MPs voted against it at the first hurdle, as they did last time when changes to the law were being considered, it would prevent it from going any further.