Thu Sep 12 04:22:00 UTC 2024: ## Former TV Presenter With Terminal Cancer to Make Emotional Plea for Assisted Dying Reform
**Brighton, UK** – Sophie Blake, a former TV sports presenter battling terminal cancer, will make an emotional plea for assisted dying reform at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference this Sunday. Blake, who worked for Channel 5 and Sky Sports, was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2020 and fears the day her condition may leave her in unbearable pain, with no legal option to end her suffering.
The 51-year-old, allergic to opioid painkillers, will speak at a fringe event titled “Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults: the next great liberal reform.” Blake, who wants to protect her 17-year-old daughter Maya from witnessing her mother’s suffering, is urging MPs to consider the impact on families who are forced to watch their loved ones endure painful deaths.
“I might not need assisted dying, but if I do, then I 100% want the choice to say ‘I can’t tolerate this level of pain, I want to be able to die at home and have my loved ones with me’,” Blake said. “I should have that right. It should be my choice not to suffer.”
Blake’s plea comes at a crucial time for the assisted dying debate. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill is set for a historic Second Reading on November 15th, marking the first debate on the issue in the new Parliament. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens all made manifesto commitments on assisted dying prior to the General Election, with Sir Keir Starmer personally pledging to make time available for debate.
The event, chaired by Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, will feature Christine Jardine MP and senior GP, Professor Aneez Esmail, alongside Blake’s emotional testimony. Dignity in Dying will also have an exhibitor stall at the conference to discuss their campaign for an assisted dying law.
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