Will the Lords kill off the assisted suicide bill?

Will the Lords kill off the dangerous, toxic, and unnecessary assisted suicide bill? The truth is that they just might.

I must admit, when MPs voted at Third Reading to approve the legislation, I feared the worst. The Bill was guaranteed maximum time in the remainder of the parliamentary session. The government even added ten additional committee days to help facilitate scrutiny.

In other words, whilst not breaching its "strictly" neutral position, the government was trying to be as helpful as possible to get the Bill through.

But still, progress through the groupings of amendments has been very slow. As time marches on, the chances of the legislation finishing committee stage, passing a third reading vote, and receiving royal assent before a likely King’s Speech in May 2026 have diminished.

Supporters' response

Supporters of the proposed assisted suicide law are fuming. There have been intense discussions with the government to try to find ways to get the Bill through.

There are whispers of using arcane parliamentary procedures like the Parliament Act which removes the Lords' right to veto legislation for Public Bills (legislation that changes "general law") if certain criteria are met.

There’s also been talk of "extensive Lords reform."

To be clear: assisted suicide supporters are becoming increasingly desperate, and this is all designed to bounce and scare Peers into getting the Bill across the line.

Yet what they cannot escape is the reality that this is dreadful legislation that’s been very poorly drafted.

And let’s face it. This Bill is about life and death. The stakes could not be any higher.

Here is a bill that will radically alter the doctor-patient relationship and would require the constitution of the National Health Service to be altered as a consequence. 

For generations, medicine has operated under the premise that to take life or to help someone end their own life is wrong.

Now, in the name of "autonomy" and "choice," Parliament is considering legalising forms of suicide.

Such a dramatic, and I would argue dangerous, change in the law deserves more, not less scrutiny. Supporters act as if the legislation is pretty much perfect, barring some modest changes.

Assisted suicide: The reality

The reality is surely that assisted suicide would crush the most vulnerable by signalling to them that what they should really do is take lethal drugs to save the health service money.

It is no accident that the fear of being a burden is so frequently cited by those who choose an assisted suicide in other countries.

At its heart, assisted suicide says to an individual in terrible circumstances that it would be better if they no longer existed.

The Christian message is so vastly different and beautifully superior.

What does the Bible say?

In His word, God teaches us to number our days. We live as long as He decides and not a second more.

Life belongs to Him. He made us and formed us and when our days are done, He will bring us into His presence.

Humanity must submit to the authority of the Lord in this matter. If Parliament rebels against God by legalising assisted suicide, our nation will suffer desperately as a result.

Whatever the outcome, the church must be a counter-cultural light. We must model such radical, sacrificial love for each other that by our loving actions, the world might know that we belong to Jesus.

I urge you to pray and write to Peers (you can visit www.care.org.uk to find out more) to ask them to kill this Bill.

Even if time runs out and the Leadbeater Bill fails to pass, we must recognise there will be new attempts to legalise assisted suicide.

But a win is a win. Pray to God that this dangerous bill and all subsequent attempts will fall by the wayside.