United by the painful reality of terminal illness – we’re begging you to help us

The assisted dying law will be voted on in Wales on Tuesday, February 24

On Tuesday, February 24, Senedd members will vote on the assisted dying law. The law, still making its way through the House of Lords, is being debated by Senedd members and you can read all about the vote itself here.

This letter, released by campaign group Dignity in Dying – which supports the law – is from families who are urging Senedd members to vote in favour of the law.

Dear Members of the Senedd,

We are writing to you as families from across Wales, united by love, loss, and the painful reality of terminal illness. We are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. We are people who have sat at hospital bedsides, who have watched loved ones fade, suffer, and lose the dignity they deserved at the end of their life.

Tomorrow, you will be asked to vote on the Legislative Consent Motion connected to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This is not a vote about whether assisted dying should or should not exist in Wales. That principle has already been agreed in the House of Commons, with 75% of Welsh MPs voting in favour. This is about whether the Senedd will have the power to shape how it works here – in our communities, in our NHS, in our languages, and in line with Welsh values.

We are urging you to vote in favour of the Legislative Consent Motion.

Among us is Noah. Noah is 19 years old. He lives in Chepstow. Like any man his age, he’s thinking about his future, his career, his dreams. But he is living with an incurable brain tumour, and unlike his peers, he has been forced to think about his death; likely to come much sooner than it should. Noah has been cared for through the NHS for many years including the transition from child to adult. This will continue as he approaches the end of his life. If he wants this option, however, that would all change. He would have to consult an entirely new, private, possibly expensive service and healthcare team, and potentially even have to travel to England, at the moment he most needs familiarity and support the most.

Another is Clare Williams and her family in Pontyclun. Clare’s father suffered a painful death from bowel cancer. Her parents ended up in a cramped one-bedroom flat, with her mum sleeping in the same bed as her dying father.

Clare has been very clear: her father may have wanted this choice but he could never have afforded to travel to Dignitas. That option simply did not exist for him. Now her father-in-law, Keith, has a terminal lung cancer diagnosis. The fear is not abstract. It is immediate and real.

For families like Clare’s and Noah’s, voting down this Legislative Consent Motion will only create new barriers. It will not solve the problem of inequality or suffering. It will make access to an option that may soon be legal across England and Wales unnecessarily harder, more fragmented, and more expensive for dying Welsh people.

If the Legislative Consent Motion is passed, you – the Senedd – will have the ability to shape how any assisted dying services are delivered in Wales. You will be able to ensure it is part of our NHS, not a privilege only for those who can pay, provided in the languages we speak. You will be able to set standards and guidance that reflect the values of this nation.

If it is rejected, you will not stop assisted dying from becoming legal. You will only lose the power to shape it. You will leave people in Wales facing the prospect of travelling to England, or paying private providers, at the most vulnerable time of their lives. You will create a system where choice exists only for those with money, energy, and mobility.

That is not fairness. That is not compassion. That is not the Wales we believe in.

This is about common sense. It is about access. It is about ensuring that, if this law comes into effect, it works for the people of Wales – not against them. It is about making sure no family is left feeling abandoned, excluded, or forced into impossible situations.

We ask you to let compassion lead. Let dignity matter. Let common sense prevail, vote in favour of the Legislative Consent Motion.

Yours sincerely,

Liz Bogunovic, Aberdare

Liz comes from a family with the MND gene. Her mother died by suicide after developing symptoms of MND and was not able to be surrounded by family. Liz and her family were questioned by police within hours of her death. Liz does not want to die alone or frightened, nor for her family to suffer as she did.

Fran Jackson, Machynlleth

Fran witnessed her sister die of lung disease in pain and fear. She is living with cancer now but she hopes that it will be possible for her to be saved from that terrible suffering and loss of control at the end, maybe even be helped to die peacefully at home.

Hayley Coristine, Monmouth

Hayley’s father had an assisted death in Canada in 2020 after a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Hayley is Canadian and now lives in Monmouth with her young family.

Noah and Shelley Herniman, Chepstow

Noah is 19 and living with an incurable brain tumour. He wants the option of assisted dying to protect his dignity and autonomy at the end of life. His mother Shelley, initially opposed, has changed her view through Noah’s experience.

Mike Stevens, Gwynedd

Mike’s daughter Jenny died aged 45 after living with cancer for seven years.

Gareth Ward, Jill Hurley, Wayne Hurley, Christine Froud, Lea Madden, Mike Hurley, Geraint Ward and Helen Spearman, Cardiff

Family of Norman Ward, born and raised in Ely, Cardiff, and a former Welsh Guard. Norman ended his life following a terminal prostate cancer diagnosis after living with the disease for 15 years and exhausting all treatment options. His family believe he deserved a compassionate, supported choice at the end of life.

Clare Williams, Keith Williams, Marc Williams, Joan Williams, Janet Jones and Gareth Jones, Pontyclun

Clare’s father died following a traumatic death from bowel cancer. Her father-in-law Keith has since been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The family want greater compassion and choice at the end of life.

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