Parliament must heed public opinion on assisted dying | Letters
May 7, 2026 6:11am
Danielle Hamm on the important perspectives that emerged from England’s first citizens’ jury. Plus letters from Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, and Dr Pamela F...
Danielle Hamm on the important perspectives that emerged from England’s first citizens’ jury. Plus letters from Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, and Dr Pamela Fisher. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent research and policy centre that aims to put ethics at the centre of decision-making about bioscience and health so that we all benefit. The Guardian reported this update on 2026-05-04 with additional details in the linked source coverage.
5-Second Takeaway
Danielle Hamm on the important perspectives that emerged from England’s first citizens’ jury.
Why This Matters
Plus letters from Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, and Dr Pamela Fisher. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent research and policy centre that aims to put ethics at the centre of decision-making about bioscience and health so that we all benefit.
What Changed
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-05-04.
- The headline focus is "Parliament must heed public opinion on assisted dying | Letters".
- Danielle Hamm on the important perspectives that emerged from England’s first citizens’ jury.
- Plus letters from Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, and Dr Pamela Fisher.
- The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent research and policy centre that aims to put ethics at the centre of decision-making about bioscience and health so that we all benefit.
- We agree that public views should be central to the debate on assisted dying (Editorial, 29 April).
- This is why we commissioned England’s first citizens’ jury on assisted dying in 2024, which produced rich and independent evidence about what the English public think about assisted dying, and the ethical, social and practical considerations that underpin their views.Over eight weeks, 30 jurors– who were reflective of the demographic makeup of the English population– spent a total of 24 hours hearing evidence from experts, engaging with perspectives from all sides of the debate, and deliberating in groups.
Key Facts
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-05-04.
- The headline focus is "Parliament must heed public opinion on assisted dying | Letters".
- Danielle Hamm on the important perspectives that emerged from England’s first citizens’ jury.
- Plus letters from Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, and Dr Pamela Fisher.
Key Numbers
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-05-04.
- We agree that public views should be central to the debate on assisted dying (Editorial, 29 April).
- This is why we commissioned England’s first citizens’ jury on assisted dying in 2024, which produced rich and independent evidence about what the English public think about assisted dying, and the ethical, social and practical considerations that underpin their views.Over eight weeks, 30 jurors– who were reflective of the demographic makeup of the English population– spent a total of 24 hours hearing evidence from experts, engaging with perspectives from all sides of the debate, and deliberating in groups.