Assisted suicide: Pressure mounts on MPs

Pressure is mounting on parliamentarians to oppose the new assisted dying bill in England and Wales. The draft Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill introduced by Kim Leadbetter is to be debated on 29 November – with a free vote taking place on the same day.

A Labour minister has warned this will not give time for the 38-page document to be sufficiently scrutinised in Parliament. Treasury minister Darren Jones said, given this is a Private Member’s bill, it will not get ‘anywhere near the same level of scrutiny and debate as the bills put forward by the government – and legalising assisted dying is far from a straightforward issue’.

Legal experts warn of risks

An open letter signed by 51 lawyers and academics, published by the Observer, urged MPs to resist the change. They wrote: ‘The law reports are littered with cases of undue influence and duress, and legalisation would inevitably expose the most vulnerable to that risk.’

The letter’s signatories include former Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland KC, former Chief Coroner Thomas Teague KC and former Bar Council chair. The letter highlights the challenges experienced in other jurisdictions in drafting effective legal safeguards and ‘the tendency of such laws to expand’. The writers believe the UK would eventually ‘follow other jurisdictions down the slippery slope’.

The role of safeguards

While Leadbetter said the bill would ‘contain the strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world’ – the wording of the draft legislation has prompted further concerns. Doctors say the safeguards provided are inadequate.

As drafted, the Secretary of State will have power to ensure assisted dying is available to patients despite having no legal duty to provide adequate palliative care.

Doctors will be free to exercise their professional judgment in deciding whether and when to discuss assisted dying with their patient. And doctors will not be required to talk to the patient about matters such as the availability of palliative care.

Tim Farron MP and en columnist, said on X (formerly Twitter) that the bill is ‘an enormous threat to vulnerable people. There are no adequate safeguards here’. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he will not support the bill and Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said he has reservations. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is the latest and most high-profile cabinet member who is expected to vote against.

The Evangelical Alliance said: ‘People will go from receiving a duty of care to feeling a duty to die if they are concerned about being a burden to loved ones. We believe legalising assisted dying in the UK will lead to unintended consequences, particularly for those living in socially deprived communities, with learning and physical disabilities.'