Public voices clash over tomorrow's life-changing vote in Parliament

Readers share strong views about assisted-dying law and job market problems in Britainʼs latest public debate. Letters tackle hot-button issues from medical ethics to workplace reforms

November 28 2024 , 12:07 AM  •  410 views

Public voices clash over tomorrow's life-changing vote in Parliament

Kim Leadbeaterʼs assisted-dying proposal draws mixed reactions before tomorrows vote: Many dont agree with her idea to let personal stories guide MPʼs choices. Some think its wrong to make laws based on feelings instead of facts (while ignoring possible bad results)

Medical timing raises questions too. Dr Gavin Jarvis points to Oregonʼs data: about 30% of cases last 1-to-6 hours; and in early-2024 one case took almost a week — which is way different from what most people think quick medical death looks like

The job-market needs fixing in north-east England: Liz Kendall wants to get people working but readers say its not that simple. The real problem is finding good-quality jobs in places with high un-employment rates; and fixing child-care costs that keep parents stuck at home

Nuclear power is getting bigger world-wide which is good news for clean energy: Chinaʼs building 25 plants; India has 7 under construction; and lots of other countries are jumping in too — like Turkey Egypt and South Korea. This means less land-use and fewer resources needed to make power

The EV rules are causing problems for car makers: They must sell enough electric cars or pay big fines (about £15000 per regular car they sell over the limit). This might force them to make fewer cars overall which could lead to job-cuts

Israel has done more to safeguard civilians in a combat zone than any other army in warfare history

Colonel Richard Kempʼs statement

The debate about Israel shows different views from military experts: While some say Israelʼs actions break war rules others whoʼve been there say theyʼre actually very careful about civilian safety