He was joined at the event at Brighouse Sports Club by a panel which included experts in end-of-life care and local faith leaders. Around 90 local residents were in the audience, with another 70 attending an earlier event in Todmorden.

Opening the event Josh gave some background on the bill,which is being brought as a private members bill by neighbouring MP KimLeadbeater. The legislation is drafted to offer an assisted death to people whoare terminally ill, with an estimated six months or less to live. TheGovernment holds no official position and it is not subject to the party ‘whip’where MPs are directed to vote a specific way.

Members of the expert panel gave background information onend-of-life care within the current law including settings where it takesplace, how patients can feel and the potential of good palliative care torelieve suffering. They also explored issues such as direct or indirectcoercion, where a person might choose an assisted death because they do notbelieve symptoms can be improved, or that they fear being a burden on familycarers. From an ethical perspective they also looked at how humans take decisions,taking into account reason and emotion.

Questions and comments from the audience in Brighouseprimarily focused on safeguarding people at a vulnerable point in life. Somepeople of faith echoed the views of panel member Revd Canon Hilary Barberregarding the sanctity of life. Others expressed the view that givingpermission for an assisted death does not oblige anyone to take it up, pointingout that more well-off people can travel abroad to access assisted deathwhereas people with less money cannot. At both events, in Todmorden andBrighouse, audience members shared deeply moving personal experiences of familymembers who had died from conditions ranging from cancer to motor neuronedisease.

Josh said ‘Politicians see a lot of commentary on socialmedia where complex subjects are reduced to smallest number of words.Inevitably views become polarised. I am heartened that so many people gave uptheir time on a Thursday night to take part in a thoughtful conversation aboutassisted dying, with much respect shown for differing views. I also take awaythat we, as a society, need to become more comfortable talking about death.

‘I will vote on the bill as written following committeestage, taking into consideration everything I have read and heard. My primaryconcerns will be safeguarding the most vulnerable and how workable it would bein practical terms’.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is due toreturn to the House of Commons for third reading later this month.

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