The 900-plus amendments are not about getting it right ...don't try to sabotage the Bill

ESTHER'S ASSISTED DYING PLEA

- BY HANNA GEISSLER Health Editor

DAME Esther Rantzen has issued a powerful warning to peers trying to derail the assisted dying Bill: “Don’t try to sabotage democracy.”

The veteran campaigner, who has stage-four lung cancer, spoke out as some members of the Lords were accused of “playing games with people’s lives and deaths”.

More than 1,000 amendments to the landmark legislation have now been tabled in Parliament’s unelected chamber, including more than 500 by seven hardline opponents.

Adding her voice to a chorus of pleas from terminally ill people who have been shocked by the behaviour of some peers, Dame Esther said: “Don’t tell me that 900-plus amendments is about getting it right.

UNREASONABLE

“We all know it’s actually about trying to sabotage the Bill. And what I'm saying to you is, don’t try to sabotage democracy.

“Give us all the choice that you would want yourself. And then we can die in dignity, pain-free, and leave our families and our loved ones with happy memories. And that’s all we ask.”