Lowestoft MP, Jess Asato, shares fears over assisted dying bill in letter to constituents

An MP has shared fears over assisted dying in a letter to constituents as the bill is set to be debated in Parliament.

Jess Asato, MP for Lowestoft, wrote a lengthy letter to her constituents outlining her objections to the assisted dying bill ahead of it being discussed in Parliament later today.

In March, the MP said the bill, seeking to introduce assisted dying into UK law, was 'irredeemably flawed and not fit to become law' as it has progressed through the committee stage since January, allowing MPs to propose amendments.

Later today, MPs will be asked to consider its progress and vote on whether to advance it to its third reading, the final opportunity for them to pass or reject the whole bill.

But Ms Asato, who voted against it in November, said the law had become even less safe than its original version, leading to her feeling increasingly concerned about what it would mean for the most vulnerable

Among several concerns, for instance, she criticised the removal of the role of the High Court judge, which had been included in the original text but replaced with a panel of three people — a legal member, a psychiatrist and a social worker.

On top of this, and having worked with vulnerable women, she explained, the bill could have a significant impact on victims of domestic abuse.

Ms Asato said: "It seems inevitable to me that this legislation will be weaponised by perpetrators to exact a final act of control: coercing, either directly or indirectly, their victim to take their own life.

"There is nothing progressive about giving perpetrators of domestic abuse a new way to kill their victims."

In her four-page letter, she said she understood why someone might reach out to doctors to help take their life, but questioned whether people would be given a truly free choice, pointing out many could request the procedure due to feeling like a burden to their families.

She said: "It is inevitable that people will choose an assisted death rather than burden their family with the financial costs and emotional toll of care — this bill not only validates that symptom but inevitably encourages it.

"Those cracks we see in our daily lives will become chasms for vulnerable people in a world where this life-or-death decision hangs over them, and many of them will fall through."