'Mum controlled her death others should be able to'

Professor Felicia Huppert (centre), who was the mother of Rowan (left) and Julian (right), chose to use assisted dying law in New South Wales in Australia

A former MP said his 79-year-old mum took advantage of the assisted dying laws in a state in Australia to "be in control of her death".

Academic Julian Huppert, who was the Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge between 2010 and 2015, spoke out on the week MPs will debate the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Commons.

He told BBC Politics East his mother, psychology professor Felicia Huppert, died at her home in New South Wales in August this year, after her breast cancer spread to her bones and brain.

Mr Huppert said: "I don't think we should deprive people of the right to choose to die with dignity for people who want to do that. "

Felicia Huppert was a professor of psychology

He added: "My mother Felicia was an amazing person in terms of so many ways. She was also an adventurer. She loved to climb mountains when she was younger.

"My brother (Rowan) and I were incredibly close to her. Mum had breast cancer about 12 years ago. She was treated here at Addenbrooke’s [hospital in Cambridge].

“She moved back to Australia, where she’d grown up, a couple of years ago.

"The cancer metastasized and went into her bones and into the brain and then spread into the stomach.

“It became clear there was nothing medical science could do, so my mother was absolutely delighted when she found out, while she was still in hospital, that voluntary assisted dying as it is called there has been allowed in New South Wales."

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act in the state came into effect in November 2023.

Professor Felicia Huppert died on Tuesday 6 August 2024 as a result of metastatic breast cancer

To qualify a person must be in the late stages of an advanced disease, illness or medical condition.

Mr Huppert said: “She was so pleased to discover that she could actively have the chance to be in control of her death rather than having it forced on her by her disease and she went through the process.

"She had to be approved by two doctors and a medical board.My mother wanted to end things when she could decide how to say goodbye to people and who to say goodbye too.

"She could die in the comfort of her bed and she could say the last things she wanted to say to her grandchildren - We chose the last music she wanted to listen too."

He added: "I understand why people are concerned but I don't think we should deprive people of the right to choose to die with dignity for people who want to do that.

"Nobody should be forced into this but equally nobody should be deprived of it."

Professor Felicia Huppert led an active life and loved to climb mountains when she was younger

Julian Huppert was MP for Cambridge between 2010 and 2015

Tom Hunt, the former Conservative Ipswich MP and member of Right To Life UK, said if he was still an MP he would not be voting for the bill as he believes it will not protect vulnerable people from "feeling coerced" to end their lives prematurely.

He thinks it has been rushed and there were too many unanswered questions.

"I do not believe the safeguards are adequate," he said.

"This bill is aimed to stop people being coerced into taking this option but stopping coercion in practice is a really hard thing to do."

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 24 November at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

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