A campaigner from Didcot whose mother sought an assisted death in Switzerland after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease has described her devastation after Parliament rejected proposed reforms to end-of-life legislation.
Catie Fenner, who works with the campaign group Dignity in Dying, said she experienced intense emotion when the assisted dying bill was defeated in the House of Commons on Friday.
The private members’ bill would have enabled terminally ill adults with full mental capacity who satisfied stringent conditions to access medical assistance in ending their lives.
MPs rejected the proposal by a margin of 16 votes, with 286 parliamentarians voting against the measure and 270 supporting it, including three representatives from Oxfordshire.
Fenner’s mother Alison received a motor neurone disease diagnosis in 2022 and subsequently chose to travel to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to end her life.
In the days leading up to the parliamentary debate, Fenner detected that momentum for the proposal was declining.
She described experiencing significant anxiety as the discussion approached, noting that she had sensed a shift in political sentiment while holding onto hope that circumstances might improve.
She participated in the early stages of the debate on Friday morning but observed that the atmosphere had become more hostile than anticipated.
Fenner expressed confidence in the safeguards built into the proposed legislation and conveyed frustration that the measure had failed to progress, denying individuals with terminal conditions the opportunity to exercise choice over their own medical care.
She stated that those who had followed her campaign understood why such reforms mattered, while acknowledging that others held different views.
The outcome proved particularly difficult for Fenner because of the relationships she had developed through her advocacy work.
She had connected with numerous individuals facing terminal diagnoses, many of whom had since died in circumstances they had feared.
She described the experience as heart-breaking, stating that she had been left distressed by the outcome for those she had come to know through the campaign.
While accepting that change had come too late for her own mother, Fenner emphasised that the same could not be said for others still navigating similar circumstances.
She expressed concern that the parliamentary defeat could set back prospects for future legislative reform by a considerable period, potentially leaving many vulnerable individuals without options.
Fenner stressed that alongside continued advocacy for assisted dying reform, improvements to palliative and social care must remain part of the broader discussion.
She argued that meaningful choice required access to high-quality support in both areas.
The campaign group indicated that supporters were struggling to come to terms with the result, describing it as a missed opportunity to implement changes that could have transformed outcomes for those living with terminal conditions.