The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is scheduled for its Second Reading in the House of Commons this week, marking a renewed effort by supporters to enact assisted dying legislation in England and Wales. Reintroduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, the bill aims to permit terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death.
This legislation previously faced challenges in the last parliamentary session. While it passed two votes in the Commons, it ultimately failed to be concluded in the House of Lords due to time constraints, which opponents described as 'filibustering'. Supporters are now exploring the possibility of using the Parliament Acts to pass the bill through the Lords without their consent.
However, the bill's reintroduction has ignited fierce debate and criticism from within Parliament. Labour MP Ashley Dalton, who has terminal cancer herself, has labeled the legislation as 'unsafe and unworkable.' She voiced concerns that the existence of such an option could lead to vulnerable individuals feeling coerced or choosing assisted dying out of fear of becoming a burden on their families or the National Health Service. Dalton asserted that proponents are pushing a flawed law without amendments to enable its passage via the Parliament Act.
Fellow Labour MP Jess Asato has also opposed the bill, disputing Ms. Edwards's claim that a small minority of peers obstructed the legislation. Asato stated that over 60 peers laid amendments, with more than 90 signing them, and over 140 speaking in the debate. She added that the bill's sponsor in the Lords rejected 99% of amendments, including those from medical and legal organizations. Asato warned against allowing the bill to pass through the Commons without amendments, which would pave the way for bypassing the Lords, arguing it represents 'poor law-making' that will ultimately harm vulnerable people.
Ms. Edwards, in an article for The Guardian, asserted that assisted dying has long been supported by a significant majority of the public. She noted that MPs in the last session, particularly from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with unanimous support from the Greens, voted in favor of the bill. She described it as a 'pressing, progressive reform' that was blocked in the Lords by a minority.
Edwards intends to ask MPs to send the bill back to the Lords, allowing them to amend it if they choose. She stated that the Lords should not be permitted to frustrate the will of the elected chamber for a second time. The previous version of the bill passed its Third Reading in the Commons by a majority of 23 votes last June.
Changes in Parliament may affect the bill's prospects. Two MPs who previously supported the bill, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former Makerfield MP Josh Simons, are no longer in Parliament. Additionally, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who replaced Starmer, has signaled opposition to the efforts to revive the bill. Burnham has argued that the immediate priority should be fixing funding for palliative and social care, suggesting that the debate on assisted dying is secondary to ensuring adequate care is already being provided.