Advertising assisted dying set to be banned in attempt to strengthen Bill
Kim Leadbeater has proposed that advertising assisted dying services should be banned as she attempts to strengthen her Bill before it is put before Parliament.
The Labour MP, who is sponsoring the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which would allow people in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to end their lives, suggested that those promoting such a service should be fined.
On Friday all MPs will be able to debate changes to the legislation in the House of Commons for the first time since voting to legalise assisted dying in principle in November.
Ms Leadbeater has tabled an amendment to the Bill banning adverts 'whose purpose or effect is to promote a voluntary assisted dying service'.
It comes after the pressure group Dignity in Dying posted adverts on the London Underground network ahead of the first Commons vote on the Bill.
One of them featured a woman alongside the phrase: 'My dying wish is my family won't see me suffer and I won't have to.'
Dame Harriett Baldwin, a critic of the legislation, said: 'I still plan to vote against the Bill when it returns to the House of Commons but if MPs choose to approve this legislation, I wanted to make sure that we don't face the nightmare scenario of our daytime TV screens full of troubling adverts offering assisted suicide.'
Ms Leadbeater said: 'I promised to return to the issue of advertising after it was raised during the committee stage of the Bill. There's widespread consensus that if the law is to change we wouldn't want to see adverts for assisted dying.
'I was happy to work with Dame Harriett Baldwin and Rebecca Paul, two MPs who didn't support the Bill when it was last voted on, to put this into the legislation. I've always made it clear I'm ready to work with people across the House to make the Bill stronger and more effective and I hope this change will be supported when it comes before MPs for approval on Friday.'
Last week, Ms Leadbeater told the Hansard Society podcast: 'I've spoken to colleagues across the House about this issue, and one thing I am very clear about is that if the law is to change it would feel inappropriate for this to be something which was advertised.'
Critics have expressed concern that there remains a lack of safeguards to protect vulnerable groups after MPs on the Bill committee heard from experts.
In another blow to the Bill, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) came out in opposition to the legislation this week.
Dr Lade Smith, president of the RCP, said the organisation remained neutral on the principle but had a number of concerns about the legislation in its current form.
It found 'a number of issues' including the possibility a terminally ill patient could be suffering from a 'very treatable' mental disorder and the fact that there was no requirement by someone who wanted to end their life to inform family members
MPs have since tabled an amendment to ensure that t he next of kin of adults under the age of 25 must be informed if their relative is seeking an assisted death.
Members of Parliament voted to legalise assisted dying by 330 votes to 275 last year. The Government has remained neutral on the issue and parliamentarians were able to vote according to their conscien ce.
Sir Keir Starmer voted in favour of the Bill, along with Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor. But Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary and Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, all voted against it.
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