Gordon Brown has declared he does not support the legalisation of assisted dying, arguing that the state of the NHS means it is not the right time for the momentous change.
The former prime minister wrote movingly of the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002, which he said showed him the “value and imperative of good end-of-life care”.
The Labour grandee, who remains a very influential figure within the party, said the days spent with his wife Sarah beside their dying baby Jennifer’s bed were “among the most precious days of our lives”.
And, in an intervention which threatens to derail Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Mr Brown called instead for the establishment of a commission to devise a “fully funded, 10-year strategy for improved and comprehensive palliative care”.
Writing in The Guardian, he said: “In my view, assisted dying is not the only option available, nor even a good option when set against the palliative support that could be available in ensuring a good death.”
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