The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been published and is available here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3774/publications
Although narrower in scope than the law it has campaigned for, My Death, My Decision welcomes the Bill in providing politicians with the opportunity to have a proper debate of the issue. That process will start with the second reading debate in the House of Commons on 29th November.
If MPs vote in favour it will then be subject to a lengthy process of scrutiny, first by a Commons committee and then by both Houses of Parliament, during which time it can be amended. It will become law only if both chambers support it in further separate votes next year.
Key elements of the Bill are:
- The right to ask for help to die will be limited to people who have six months or fewer left to live;
- Two independent doctors must be satisfied that the person is eligible and must, if necessary, consult a specialist in their condition and receive an assessment from an expert in mental capacity;
- The application then goes before a High Court judge who must hear from at least one of the doctors and may hear from and question the person making the application and anybody else they consider appropriate;
- No doctor will be under any obligation to participate in any part of the process;
- If all the above safeguards and protections are met and the person still wishes to proceed, the medication must be self-administered.
With its six months time criterion the Bill will follow the format adopted by all of the states in the USA and several in Australia that allow assisted dying, and so will exclude most people with conditions like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Multiple Sclerosis from having the option of an assisted death. Debate of these cases will no doubt arise as the Bill progresses through the different stages of scrutiny.
Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision, said:
“This is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, the introduction of an assisted dying Bill in the House of Commons is a significant and long-awaited step. We commend Kim Leadbeater MP for putting forward the case for change, and we wholeheartedly support efforts to end the inhumane blanket ban on assisted dying.
Many conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease can make life intolerable for the sufferer well before they can be described as terminal, or the diagnosis of terminal status may come too late, when the patient has lost mental capacity. My Death, My Decision will make sure that parliamentarians consider these cases as the Bill progresses.”
Notes:
Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.
Media can use the following press images and videos, as long as they are attributed to “My Death, My Decision”.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
