Dame Esther Rantzen has said she is “disappointed” in health secretary Wes Streeting, who is a Christian, for opposing a change in the law on assisted dying.
She told LBC that ministers had been asked not to campaign on the issue of assisted dying – which will be put to MPs as a free vote, without party whip – yet felt that Wes Streeting’s opposition of it amounted to campaigning.
The health secretary, who is a Christian, said the current poor state of the NHS means those eligible for an assisted death would not be able to make a fair choice.
Esther Rantzen also said that she wanted religious MPs to “be honest” about their reasons for opposing the bill. It comes as justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, received criticism for opposing the bill on the basis of her Muslim faith.
Rantzen said: “I am heartened by the fact that she has disclosed that that is her underlying reason. I mean, what worries me is the number of people who are guided by their faith. That's fine. That's their choice, whether they're evangelical Christian or Catholic.
“They have the right to choose. But please be honest about your real motivation. And some of them, I've noticed, have been claiming facts which are not facts, distorting evidence, when really their reason is that they believe, for faith reasons, religious reasons, that this bill should be opposed.”
On Friday, 29th November, MPs will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill.