Gordon Brown says his daughter’s death showed the value of ‘good’ dying over assisted dying

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has stated that he opposes the legalization of assisted dying, saying the death of his newborn daughter in January 2002 convinced him of the “value and necessity of good end-of-life care”.

In a rare and poignant insight into the tragedy, he says the time he and his wife Sarah spent at their baby Jennifer’s bedside “as her life faded away” was “one of the most precious days of (our) lives.”

In an article for the Guardian, Brown says the debate over assisted dying is moving too fast given the ‘profound ethical and practical issues’, and that the state of the NHS means now is not the right time for a far-reaching decision.

Instead of a yes/no vote in parliament, Brown writes that a committee should be set up to devise a “fully funded, 10-year strategy for improved and comprehensive palliative care.” He cites unpublished polling showing that half the public does not trust the government’s ability to fund specialized end-of-life care, and that more than two-thirds support a commission on the issue.

MPs will vote next week on a private member’s bill to legalize assisted death in England and Wales. MPs have been given a free vote, meaning that individuals rather than parties will decide whether to support or reject the bill.

Proponents and opponents of the bill are expected to step up their lobbying of undecided MPs in the coming days as there is uncertainty over the outcome of the historic vote.

Brown says he and Sarah knew the extent of Jennifer’s brain hemorrhage four days after her birth in December 2001, when he was chancellor. She died when she was 11 days old.

He said: “We were fully aware that all hope was gone and she had no chance of survival. All we could do was sit with her, hold her little hand and be there for her as life faded away. She died in our arms.

“But the days we spent with her are still some of the most precious days of mine and Sarah’s lives. The experience of sitting with a fatally ill girl did not convince me of the need for assisted dying; it convinced me of the value and necessity of good end-of-life care. We were reassured that she was in no pain.”

On Friday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper became the latest minister to share their views on assisted dying when she said she supported “the principle of need for change” in the law.

“I have voted for change in the past,” she told Good Morning Britain. “These are important and difficult issues, and I have not changed my views on the principles of this issue. But I also recognize that there needs to be a detailed debate on the details of the legislation, on the types of safeguards and the issues that need to be put in place.”

Pressed about how she would vote, she added: “I continue to support the principle that change is needed, but also to ensure we have the right safeguards and systems in place.”

A YouGov poll published on Friday found that almost three-quarters of the British public believe in principle that assisted dying should be legal, while 13% were opposed. More than half – 55% – of respondents would like to go further than the current proposal, saying assisted dying should be legal for people with debilitating, incurable conditions that are not terminal.

Brown argues that such a profound decision should be postponed to allow for more listening and learning.

He writes: “Britain usually acts too slowly on matters where it should act quickly. But sometimes, like now, it can be too fast on a topic where it should be slower, listen and learn.

“And with the NHS still at its lowest ebb, this is not the right time to make such a profound decision. Instead, we need to show that we can do better in assisted living before we decide whether to legislate on ways to die.”

At the heart of the assisted dying debate is the desire to prevent suffering, and both sides share “sincere compassion for all who experience painful deaths,” he writes. “The best way to achieve this divides our country and raises profound ethical and practical issues.”

He says he believes assisted dying is not “the only option and not even a good option” compared to good palliative care.

“But I also know that, as things stand, care and personal assistance are still in short supply for terminally ill people, and that end-of-life care is the biggest postcode lottery of all.”

The fear surrounding the scarcity of funding for end-of-life care is shared by the public, he says.

“If only a small portion of the population is expected to choose assisted dying, wouldn’t it be better to focus all our energies on improving overall hospice care to reach everyone who needs end-of-life support?”

He says medical advances can transform end-of-life care, adding: “This generation has it in our power to ensure that no one has to face death alone, uncared for or in avoidable pain.”

Kim Leadbeater, the MP whose assisted dying bill will be debated next week, welcomed Brown’s call for a committee on end-of-life care.

“It is a vital issue that deserves to be investigated in depth. We in Britain probably have the best palliative care in the world, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, and I agree with Gordon that it should be,” she said.

But, she added, “even the very best end-of-life care doesn’t work for everyone.”

She said she was deeply moved by Brown’s description of “how he and Sarah surrounded their newborn daughter with love as her life slipped away… He says baby Jennifer’s death convinced him of the value of good end-of-life care, and I completely agree with him.”