Latest news with #TerminallyIll
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Assisted Suicide Bill Returns to Commons as MPs Remain Divided
Kim Leadbeater's assisted suicide bill is unsafe and does not adequately protect the vulnerable, critics of the proposals said during a debate in the House of Commons. On Friday, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise medical-assisted suicide for terminally-ill adults with less than six months to live, returned to Parliament for the Report Stage, where MPs began to debate and vote on One amendment, which was supported by MPs, would ensure that no member of staff, such as pharmacists and doctors, would be legally obliged to take part in the assisted suicide process. Another would have prevented employees from providing assisted suicide while working for an employer who had opted out of the process. However, this was rejected by MPs, by 243 to 279. Private Members' Bills are only ever debated on Fridays for a maximum of five hours. Given the number of amendments and level of engagement from MPs on the issue, the House was forced to pass a closing motion, ending the debate and scheduling it to continue next month. Bill Is 'Fundamentally Flawed' Opening the debate on Friday morning, Leadbeater said: 'Put simply, if we do not vote to change the law, we are essentially saying that the status quo is acceptable. 'Over recent months, I have heard hundreds of stories from people who have lost loved ones in deeply difficult and traumatic circumstances, which show that that is clearly not the case. Related Stories 3/27/2025 3/13/2025 'Too many have seen their terminally-ill loved ones take their own lives out of desperation, or make the traumatic, lonely and costly trip to Switzerland, and then face a police investigation while dealing with their grief and loss.' It is the first time that the bill has returned to the Commons since it passed Second Reading in a vote in November, with a majority of 55. MPs remain divided on whether there should be a change in the law, and their positions do not follow party line, with many MPs from across the political spectrum sharing similar opinions. Those opposed to the bill included Labour's Naz Shah, who sat on the committee reviewing expert evidence and considering amendments. She said that the bill was 'fundamentally flawed' and in its current form could mean patients could bring themselves within eligibility for assisted suicide by refusing to eat or drink, including those with anorexia. Labour's Rachael Maskell cited recent concerns raised by the Royal College of GPs and called the proposals 'unsafe, which is why the professional bodies are speaking out against this bill.' Her comments follow the Royal College of Physicians Others warned that terminally ill people might feel pressured or believe doctors are suggesting assisted suicide, even if the doctors are simply explaining all available options. Terminally ill people, affected families, and campaigners for a change in the law on assisted suicide gather outside the Palace of Westminster ahead of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill's report stage in London, on May 16, 2025. Lucy North/PA Wire Conservative MP Dr. Caroline Johnson said, 'If a doctor tells somebody, or gives any information, about assisted dying, it is quite reasonable for that person to think that either the doctor is suggesting that they should take part in this process, or even they're hinting their death is going to be a dreadful one and trying to be kind to them.' Neurodegenerative Illnesses Among those expressing support for the bill was Liberal Democrat Liz Jarvis, who paid tribute to Leadbeater's work on the proposals, saying, 'As other members have said, the decision before us is fundamentally about whether we believe in an individual's right to have choice at the end of their life.' Jarvis backs an amendment which would extend the minimum life expectancy for eligibility from six months to 12 months for those with neurodegenerative illnesses. She said: 'Palliative care can provide incredible support and I'm very glad that this debate has reopened the national conversation about issues of funding for palliative care, however, as I know from my personal experience with my mum who died last March after a seven-year struggle with Alzheimer's, palliative care can sometimes only go so far. 'Amendment four recognises that those with neurodegenerative illnesses deserve the same compassion, control, and dignity at the end of their lives as others do, and by extending the timeframe to 12 months they will be given more control over their ultimate decision.' The Report Stage will continue on June 13, when MPs will hear further amendments for the bill. Once the Report Stage is complete, the bill will face its Third Reading, when MPs will vote for or against the bill as a whole. If passed in the Commons at Third Reading, the bill will go to the House of Lords for scrutiny before gaining Royal Assent and becoming law. What would follow is an implementation period of a maximum of four years, meaning it might not be until 2029 that assisted suicide will be offered. PA Media contributed to this report.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
MP ‘will not be complicit' in approving assisted dying law in safeguards call
Assisted dying safeguards to prevent coercion and 'terrible tragedy' are 'inadequate', MPs have argued as they debated a draft new law. Labour's Naz Shah warned that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is 'literally a matter of life and death' and said she would not be 'complicit' in approving a law without adequate protections. Her colleague Florence Eshalomi told the Commons that she too opposed the proposal to legislate for assisted dying, as a result of 'inadequate safeguards against the coercion of minority communities'. Ahead of Friday's debate about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Ms Shah tabled an amendment so that a person would not meet the requirements for an assisted death 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking'. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley who proposed the Bill, accepted the change. Later in the debate, Bradford West MP Ms Shah, said she had spoken to the parents of a girl who had diabetes and complexities of anorexia. 'If the safeguards in this Bill fail, even once, it will be a young woman like Jessica who dies, it will be parents like Leslie and Neil who lose a child. That is a terrible tragedy no family should ever have to endure,' she said. 'No-one in this House will be able to say truthfully that we did not know or didn't see this coming. That is not compassion, that is abandonment. 'I will not be complicit in that and I hope this House will not be either.' Ms Shah said: 'This is literally a matter of life and death. If this Bill passes that it doesn't have the safeguards, there's no coming back from those decisions.' Conservative MP for Reigate Rebecca Paul said she supported Ms Shah's amendment, because it 'addresses a big risk'. She said: 'In the case of anorexia, there are physical manifestations of the illness, such as malnutrition and diabetes, that might mean the patient meets the definition of being terminally ill, and that is the nub of the problem here. 'The Bill doesn't adequately rule out physical manifestations caused by mental illness.' Ms Eshalomi said she had 'voted against this Bill at second reading on the grounds of inadequate safeguards against the coercion of minority communities', and added: 'I'm sad to say I'm even more worried now than I was then.' The Vauxhall and Camberwell Green MP also said: 'It is because we recognise that if this Bill passes, it may impact everyone, not just those who may wish to die. It is not wrong or scaremongering to consider the wider family life, relationships with feelings of burdens or coercion including vulnerable women and people from the BME (black and minority ethnic) community at the end of their life. 'It is not wrong or scaremongering for us as politicians as we continue to receive correspondence from our constituents about the broken state of our NHS and social care, and for us to think carefully about a Bill which may alter the very relationship between doctors and their patients. 'It is frankly insulting to disabled people, hardworking professionals up and down the country who have raised many valid concerns about this Bill, to have it dismissed as religious beliefs.' Addressing Ms Shah's amendment, Ms Leadbeater told the Commons she had previously 'worked with a number of people with eating disorders'. She said: 'Eating disorders cause huge distress for individuals and their families and loved ones, but with care and with the right treatments, it is possible for people to recover and to go back to leading a full and fulfilling life.' Ms Leadbeater said 'some people have expressed concerns that the severe physical consequences of a decision to stop eating or drinking could still enable someone to claim eligibility for assisted dying when otherwise they would not be able to do so'. She backed the amendment subject to possible 'further drafting changes' to reduce the risk of a 'loophole'. From the despatch box, health minister Stephen Kinnock said whether or not to approve Ms Shah's proposal was 'a policy choice for Parliament' but warned it 'risks introducing some uncertainty over a persons' eligibility for assistance under the Bill'. He added: 'Recognising the intent of this amendment, we do not believe it would render the Bill unworkable.' After the debate, Ms Shah revealed she was 'unbelievably' not told that her amendment would be accepted, and added: 'We shouldn't be playing games with people's lives like this.'
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
MPs vote in favour of assisted dying opt-out for all healthcare workers
No medics would be obliged to take part in assisted dying, under a change approved by MPs amid further impassioned debate on the controversial topic. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was debated for almost five hours on Friday. It was the first time the proposed legislation had returned to the Commons since a historic yes vote in November saw a majority of MPs support the principle of assisted dying. MPs voted for one new clause to be added to the Bill, which will ensure 'no person', including any medical professional, is obliged to take part in assisted dying. Doctors already had an opt-out but the new clause extends that to anyone, including pharmacists and social care workers. The at-times emotional debate saw supporters of changing the law argue the Bill has returned with strengthened safeguards after being amended in committee earlier this year. But opponents have complained the Bill does not have enough protections and has been rushed through, with the criticism coming days after two royal medical colleges voiced their doubts on the legislation in its current form. Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and is one of the most high-profile backers of the Bill, appealed for MPs to vote for what she termed a 'crucial reform'. In a letter to MPs on the eve of Friday's debate, she urged them to change the law 'as so many other countries have, not for me and for those like me who are running rapidly out of time, but for future generations to have the right if necessary, not to shorten their lives, to shorten their deaths'. She suggested some MPs opposed to the Bill have 'undeclared personal religious beliefs which mean no precautions would satisfy them'. This drew criticism in the Commons from Labour's Jess Asato who branded the Childline founder's comments 'distasteful and disrespectful'. An effort by Conservative MP Rebecca Paul preventing employees from providing assisted dying, while working for an employer which has chosen not to take part in the process, was rejected. Health minister Stephen Kinnock said that amendment might leave workers with 'conflicting obligations' and could make the service more difficult to access 'if employers can prevent their entire workforce from participating in the provision of assisted dying'. The Government is neutral on the Bill and any votes MPs make are according to their own conscience rather than along party lines. In its current form the Bill, which applies only to England and Wales, would mean terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, with approval needed from two doctors and the expert panel. Bringing her Bill back to Parliament, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said assisted dying must be legalised to avoid terminally ill people acting out of desperation or making 'traumatic' trips to Switzerland. Following the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) statement this week on its 'serious concerns' including on numbers of psychiatrists available to sit on panels assessing a terminally ill person's application, Ms Leadbeater told MPs said she 'wouldn't anticipate any problems' on staffing. Other amendments discussed – but not voted on – on Friday included ensuring care homes and hospices can decide whether or not to be involved in assisted dying and that their funding would not be affected based on their decision. Elsewhere, Labour's Dame Meg Hillier spoke of her concern that patients could 'feel pressured into ending their lives' if doctors are able to raise the prospect of assisted dying with patients first in a conversation. Dame Meg has urged MPs to support her amendments which would mean that could not happen, and that health professionals could not raise the topic with under-18s. Neither of those were voted on. Another amendment preventing a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking' – tabled by Labour's Naz Shah – was accepted by Ms Leadbeater without a vote. With dozens of amendments having been tabled for Friday, some MPs raised further concerns about the quality of the debate and the length of time allocated. The current stage – known as report stage – will continue on June 13, when further debate will take place in the Commons. If time allows on that day it is possible a third reading could take place, giving MPs another vote to either approve or reject the overall Bill and decide whether to send it on to the House of Lords. Speaking to pro-change campaigners following Friday's session, Ms Leadbeater said: 'We've got further to go, but I think it was a reasonably good debate.' Addressing a group in Parliament, including Dame Esther's daughter Rebecca Wilcox, Ms Leadbeater became emotional, saying she gets upset 'when we get obsessed with parliamentary procedure, when this is actually about human beings, and that's what I find upsetting, because I think it's not about a green book, or it's not about a piece of paper'.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Care homes and hospices must have right to opt out of assisted dying, MPs hear
Concerns around the prospect of care homes providing assisted dying and the risks of patients turning to Google if not given all the options by a doctor have been raised in Parliament as the controversial topic was once again debated by MPs. Demonstrators gathered outside Parliament as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill came back to the Commons for the first time since a historic yes vote in November saw a majority of MPs support the principle of assisted dying. Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and is one of the most high-profile backers of the Bill, appealed for MPs to vote for what she termed a 'crucial reform'. She urged them to change the law 'as so many other countries have, not for me and for those like me who are running rapidly out of time, but for future generations to have the right if necessary, not to shorten their lives, to shorten their deaths'. Dame Esther also suggested many MPs opposed to the Bill have 'undeclared personal religious beliefs which mean no precautions would satisfy them'. But Labour's Jess Asato criticised the Childline founder's comments as 'distasteful and disrespectful'. Opponents have argued the Bill does not have enough safeguards and has been rushed through, with two royal medical colleges voicing their doubts on the legislation in its current form. Among those opposed to the Bill, Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson – who would have a vote on the Bill should it make its way to the Lords – has argued the Bill has 'not been made safer', criticising the scrapping of the much-lauded High Court safeguard in favour of expert panels. Other changes made to the Bill – which concerns only England and Wales – in recent months during a weeks-long committee process include the timeframe in which an assisted dying service might come into effect being doubled to four years from royal assent. In its current form the Bill would mean terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, with approval needed from two doctors and the expert panel. It is possible this part of the parliamentary process, known as the report stage, will run into a second day next month, meaning a vote on approval or rejection of the overall Bill would not take place on Friday. Bringing her Bill back to Parliament, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said assisted dying must be legalised to avoid terminally ill people acting out of desperation or making 'traumatic' trips to Switzerland. As Friday's session – which could last for up to five hours – opened, she told MPs gathered in the Commons: 'Put simply, if we do not vote to change the law, we are essentially saying that the status quo is acceptable.' Referring to stories she had heard of people dying in 'deeply difficult and traumatic circumstances', she added: 'Too many have seen their terminally ill loved ones take their own lives out of desperation, or make the traumatic, lonely and costly trip to Switzerland, and then face a police investigation while dealing with their grief and loss.' Following a Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) statement this week on its 'serious concerns' including on numbers of psychiatrists available to sit on panels assessing a terminally ill person's application, Ms Leadbeater told MPs said she 'wouldn't anticipate any problems' on staffing. Amendments being discussed on Friday included ensuring care homes and hospices can decide whether or not to be involved in assisted dying and that their funding would not be affected based on their decision. Conservative MP Rebecca Paul, who tabled both amendments, said they 'provide important protections' which she argued 'are currently lacking in the Bill'. She told MPs: 'Whether you're in favour of assisted dying or not, we must preserve the rights of organisations, companies and charities to choose whether to offer it. They must never be bought into it by public funding being conditional on the provision of assisted dying.' Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh used his speech to express the views of a care home manager who spoke of the 'unworkable nature of individual exclusion from the processes of assisted dying in social care environments' Quoting the care home boss, he said: 'Specific exclusion of the care home sector should be a feature of the Bill. In any case, organisations and sites should and must be given the ability to exclude themselves from the act of assisted death.' Elsewhere, Labour's Dame Meg Hillier spoke of her concern that patients could 'feel pressured into ending their lives' if doctors are able to raise the prospect of assisted dying with patients first in a conversation. Dame Meg has urged MPs to support her amendments which would mean that could not happen, and that health professionals could not raise the topic with under-18s. She said the issue is 'a very difficult thing for a lot of people to understand, but particularly for young people' and warned of adolescents being 'more likely to take risks'. Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said there was additional danger presented by social media on the topic, telling the Commons she had heard 'almost all of our young people across the UK are having their mental health impacted by social media'. She said: 'If we throw this into the mix, this has the potential to do untold damage.' But Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine suggested patients not being given 'all the options' by medical professionals could see them, particularly young people who might be active on social media, tempted to search online for their own information. She said: 'The automatic reaction is to go and Google everything, in fact we all do it … the danger is if they are not told all the options, if they are not given the guidance that's available, then they will go to Google and what we will see is yet more of the dangerous suicide attempts that we see at the moment.' The Government is neutral on the Bill and any votes MPs make are according to their own conscience rather than along party lines.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What's happening in the assisted dying debate? The key developments
Proposals to legalise assisted dying return to Parliament on Friday backed by Dame Esther Rantzen and Sir Keir Starmer but criticised by some professional medical bodies. MPs will take part in a five-hour session during which various amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated and voted on. It is possible this part of the process, known as the report stage, will run into a second day next month, meaning a vote on approval or rejection of the overall Bill would not take place on Friday. Opponents have argued the Bill does not have enough safeguards and has been rushed through, with two royal medical colleges voicing their doubts on the legislation in its current form. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said it believes there are 'concerning deficiencies' with the proposed legislation as it stands while the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said it has 'serious concerns' and cannot support the current Bill. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the Bill, said it was coming back 'even stronger' when it returns to the House of Commons on Friday for the first time since a historic yes vote in November. Read more from our media partners below or click the headlines to skip ahead Assisted dying bill: What changes are being made to the controversial legislation and will it pass? Five ways Kim Leadbeater is trying to rescue her assisted dying Bill Esther Rantzen urges MPs to back 'strong, safe' assisted dying bill in vote Royal College of Physicians adds voice of concern on assisted dying Bill Newly proposed changes to the assisted dying bill have caused controversy as MPs weigh up whether they will continue supporting the legislation at the final vote on Friday. Put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who tabled the original bill, the changes have reformed a major safeguarding measure that was included in the original version. Read the full story from The Independent Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is the furthest that Parliament has gone towards legalising assisted dying in England. MPs voted 330 to 275 in support of a law change last year, but just 28 need to switch sides for the Bill to fail at the next stage. Ms Leadbeater has put forward a number of changes to the Bill to try and calm fears among wavering supporters and opponents, but it is not yet clear whether they will be enough. Read the full story from The Telegraph Esther Rantzen has urged all MPs to back Kim Leadbeater's 'strong, safe, carefully considered bill' to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, which faces its next Commons test on Friday. In an impassioned letter, the broadcaster, who has stage-four lung cancer, said she and other terminally ill adults asked MPs to allow 'a good, pain-free death for ourselves and those we love and care for'.Read the full story from The Guardian Another leading medical body has raised concerns about the risks of the assisted dying Bill 'failing to protect vulnerable patients', on the eve of its return to Parliament. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said it believes there are 'concerning deficiencies' with the proposed legislation as it stands. Read the full story from PA Media
