Ageing acting veterans including Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen are leading calls for the government to pass the assisted dying bill
Ageing acting veterans including Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen are leading calls for the government to pass the assisted dying bill. The pair are among a litany of famous faces urging peers to “show the world” Britain can “lead with empathy and courage’ over the controversial death policy.
Joining them are Dame Esther Rantzen, Joanna Lumley, Prue Leith, Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes and John Nettles. They have signed a letter supporting what they say will give patients “choice and control” over their deaths.
The House of Lords is set to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill on Friday.
And if it’s passed, terminally ill adults in England and Wales given less than six months to live to decide to end their lives. The Bill will decriminalise the practice in Britain.
It’s now illegal to help an adult to die.
The policy has led to terminally ill patients travelling to clinics such as Dignitas in Switzerland to end their lives.
Celebs said in their letter, which is being published in partnership with the Dignity in Dying campaign group, many of them have witnessed “people we love suffer beyond imagining as they died”.
They added to the Lords set to debate the End Of Life Bill: “And we are counting on you to stand with them too, and back this Bill.
“Give them the choice and control over their own end of life that every person deserves. Show those suffering that you will not stand by while an outdated law forces them to endure unbearable pain against their wishes.
“Show us all that you value and champion dignity, compassion, and personal freedom for every Briton – including the terminally ill – when it matters most.
“This is not a radical proposition. It is a deeply popular and carefully considered reform whose time has come. Three-quarters of the British public support an assisted dying law.
“Many medical professionals now recognise the need for change. Yet we hear that some peers plan to block the Bill’s progress.
“This cannot be allowed to happen… Let this Bill proceed. Give hope and relief to those who are suffering beyond what words can convey.
“Show the world that this country is prepared to lead with empathy and courage, ensuring that in our final days, each of us can face death on our own terms, surrounded by love, peace, and humanity.”
Other signatories on the letter include broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, actress Zoë Wanamaker and designer Jasper Conran.
That’s Life icon Dame Esther, 85, is suffering from terminal lung cancer after being diagnosed with the condition in 2023.
She recently revealed she’s riddled with anxiety as she waits for another scan so doctors can reveal the extent of her cancer.
Critics of the End Of Life Bill have warned it is a “slippery slope”, with dangers including patients feeling pressure to end their lives if they fear they are becoming a burden on loved ones and society.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
