THE Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville Roberts, has explained why she voted in support of a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales today (November 29).

MPs voted 330 in favour, to 275 against, during the second reading of the bill in Parliament today – this does not mean the bill has become law, but it allows it to continue for further parliamentary scrutiny.

Labour’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill would make assisted dying legal for terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months and have the mental capacity to make a choice about how they end their life.

The bill also requires that two independent doctors and a High Court judge are satisfied that the individual making the request is older than 18, terminally ill with six months or less to live, and fully mentally competent.

Voting took place at about 2.30pm today following roughly five hours’ debate in Parliament.

READ MORE:

Search for missing diver continues in Gwynedd as appeal made

Asylum seekers resettled in Gwynedd and Anglesey in last three years

Bangor teenager arrested after ‘doing balloons’ while driving

Mrs Saville Roberts said she was minded to support the bill at second reading, provided there is a guarantee of sufficient scrutiny at the committee stage.

She said: “The starting point for many of us today is how to resolve the dilemma of ‘what I want for myself’ with the fear of enabling potentially terrible consequences for others.

“There is a rational fear of how institutional pressures, lack of resources and - appallingly - culture within the NHS will ramp up the convenience of death as an affordable option.

“The people of England and Wales now expect us as legislators to provide an answer in principle. It is our job to provide that answer not only in principle but also in process.

“If bill committee scrutiny cannot make this bill robust, I will reconsider my support at future votes.

“The implications for Wales – where health is, of course, devolved – cry out for proper consideration.

“This is equally true for both remote and deprived communities where ill and dying people already suffer disproportionately inadequate health services.”

Mrs Saville Roberts also paid tribute to Iola Dorkins, of Morfa Nefyn, who she has known for more than 30 years, and who is dying of motor neurone disease.

Mrs Dorkins wears a brace which her husband has adapted to make her more comfortable. Today, she is in respite at a hospice in Holyhead, 50 miles from her home.

“That is the reality of people's lives as things stand,” Mrs Saville Roberts said.

“We need a change in the law.

“I believe in a compassionate and dignified approach to assisted dying. Forcing people to endure life with severe physical or emotional pain is inhumane, and decriminalisation could bring better safeguards and regulation.”

Mrs Saville Roberts also called for improvements to palliative care, and said the government should not be seen as an “alternative to addressing the failures within the NHS”.

“Nor should the government prioritise decriminalisation of assisted dying over efforts to improve the dismal state of social care,” she added.