Rebecca Wilcox has says she is 'deeply moved' by the assisted dying debate. (Image: Getty)
Watching the debate, brought about in my mother Dame Esther Rantzen’s name, with the help of The Express and the incredible 200,000 signatories to our petition, I find I am deeply moved.
I am moved to shake some MPs by the hand and yet others by the throat.
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Why am I surprised when some MPs ignore the evidence? Thank goodness one the authors of the social care and reform report on assisted dying, Paul Blomfield, was there to stop some MPs digging up obsolete and inaccurate statistics to support their own arguments.
And he jumped in when others misquoted the report and attempted to reverse the report’s conclusions.
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Don't miss... Celebs gather as MPs debate assisted dying with counter protestors at the scene
Dame Esther Rantzen sparked a debate on assisted dying. (Image: Getty)
Still, as Tobias Ellwood said, it was a big day, an important day and the room was filled so full that they needed extra chairs. In the end there were 34 speakers, 19 in favour, 13 against and two neutral.
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The speakers in support described movingly their own personal and their constituents’ experiences.
As a supporter myself I thought the MPs that spoke in favour of the law change clearly demonstrated their knowledge of the real evidence from around the world that showed previously voiced fears were unfounded.
The report stated that these fears were not justified and there was no 'slippery slope' leading to dangerously relaxed regulations.
It also quashed fears over a reduction in palliative care levels and fears of vulnerable people being left unprotected.
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Campaigners showed support for assisted dying ahead of a debate in the House of Commons (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images)
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Despite this careful research, this alongside reasons of faith, were still the main arguments voiced against a law change but at least now MPs in favour of reforming the law were able to cite facts against their opinion.
I spoke to Mum throughout the debate, both of us fuming when the slippery slope was brought up again, or others spouted Logun’s Run nonsense.
But Mum was deeply moved by some of the speeches.
“There is no doubt,” she told me, “That the greatest and most powerful speakers with the most moving and most persuasive arguments were the MPs who spoke about personal experience, particularly the personal experience of their voters.”
She went on: “There is a disappointing core of people who remain implacable.”
Like Therese Coffey who proudly said she knew she would disappoint many of her constituents but said she would "never change my mind and never vote in favour of assisted dying.”
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"What this means,” Mum told me, “is that whatever new and positive evidence comes from countries who have change their laws - evidence that shows that there is no slippery slope and that palliative care is not damaged - there are some people who cannot hear it because they are so convinced that a change in the law would be wrong.”
Mum and I are motivated by today to keep going.
Mum’s final thought on the debate was this: “I want to thank those wonderful 200,000 signatories who enabled this important debate to happen but we need them now more than ever.
"When and if a parliamentary debate is scheduled, with a free vote which could bring about this crucial change in the law, we need their help.
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"We need them to write to their MPs with their personal stories. Describe their experience. Those are the most powerful and most persuasive arguments.”
So, whilst it was somewhat frustrating listening to a few MPs spouting opinion over fact, there were some speakers who brought us hope.
And it truly feels like compassionate common sense could prevail and a change in the law might come about thanks to you.
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