Rutland father with motor neurone disease sufferer to host Kill Phil podcast on assisted dying
A father of two with motor neurone disease who has campaigned to legalise assisted dying is to host a podcast to encourage a new debate on the subject.
Phil Newby, who lives near Rutland Water, has championed the right to euthanasia since he was diagnosed with the incurable disease in 2014.
He was approached by a production company with the podcast idea two years ago during a legal challenge to the High Court and Appeal Court.
Phil failed in his bid to persuade judges to rule on a change in the law on assisted dying.
But he hopes the podcast set for release this month, named ‘Kill Phil’, will highlight the issue once again and add balance to an incendiary debate.
“It’s an inflammatory title, but it’s really to grab attention,” he said.
“The series itself is all about having a proper, careful conversation about this issue from the middle ground.
“The whole debate has become too Punch and Judy and polarised which means you can’t have a constructive conversation.”
It has been a year in the making and will feature Phil’s interviews with leading medics, barristers, disability campaigners and politicians including former Liberal Democrats leader, Vince Cable.
“It’s made me think really hard about certain aspects ,” he added.
“I have found it quite a journey to really try and think about all of the issues, the pros and cons, and it takes you to some really dark places.
“Of all of the people that have challenged this I think I’m the only person still alive.”
Phil, 51, cannot walk unaided or use his hands and lower arms, and fears being trapped in his body as his condition deteriorates.
“I broke my hip and got covid in quick succession last year so we had a difficult summer, but we are relatively stable at the moment,
“I’m finding it harder to speak and to breathe but we're just about holding our own."
Assisted dying is legal in several countries, including Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Colombia, Switzerland, parts of the United States and Australia.
But helping someone take their own life remains a crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
The topic has been debated in the House of Lords once again. Last week Lord Forsyth added an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill to try and force the Government to consider assisted dying within the next year.
Yet Phil believes it is a political hot potato on which the Government is not prepared to burn its fingers.
“Our Parliament is not set up to deal with these kind of complex ethical issues and really struggles with them,” he said.
“The Government is very unlikely to find time to look at these things unless they are forced to."
Assisted dying has recently been passed as law in Jersey, and been debated in the Scottish Parliament.
Neil believes legislation could be passed north of the border as early as next year.
“I’m very unlikely to see any benefit myself from this,” he added.
“I’ve been resigned to that since the High Court and appeal court cases.
“But lots of people lose their voices early on and I still have mine so it’s important to use it for something positive.”
