Members of Parliament are once again debating legislation that would permit assisted dying, with the potential for an identical bill to be advanced through Parliament using a rarely invoked procedure. This comes after a similar bill was approved by the House of Commons in June of the previous year.
The current legislative path involves a bill identical to the one passed by the Commons. Should the House of Lords object to this bill, the Commons could utilize powers under the Parliament Acts to bypass those objections. This procedure allows a bill to become law at the end of a parliamentary session even without the explicit approval of the upper chamber, provided it passes the Commons in two successive sessions. The Parliament Acts were last used in 2004 to enact a ban on fox hunting.
Opponents have raised concerns that this method could lead to the passage of legislation despite significant objections from disability charities, hospices, and other groups. Gareth Snell, a Labour MP who previously supported the bill, has expressed deep concern about the potential use of the Parliament Acts. In a letter co-signed with Dame Meg Hillier, an opponent of assisted dying, Snell described the move as an "extraordinary risk."
While the MP bringing forward the bill, according to one source, stated she does not wish to use the Parliament Acts, the intention is for MPs to pass an identical bill. This action would compel the House of Lords to scrutinize the legislation rather than block its progress. The ultimate aim is for peers to "finish the job" by allowing the bill to proceed through the legislative process.