Assisted dying Bill: Dying people and bereaved loved ones urge MPs to grant their dying wishes
Photos available here: www.bit.ly/Report16May25
Terminally ill people and bereaved families took their dying wishes to Parliament Square today (Friday 16th May) as MPs prepared to debate Kim Leadbeater MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which covers England and Wales, once again. Dame Esther’s Rantzen’s daughter Rebecca Willcox joined terminally ill people including Sophie Blake, a terminally ill mother from Brighton. Each has a different reason and personal experience behind their support for the Bill, but they are all connected by a dying wish: when we cannot stay, let us choose how we go.
The Bill is the first assisted dying bill in history to reach Report Stage in the House of Commons – a landmark moment in the campaign for end-of-life choice. The Bill – which would give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the option of an assisted death within strict legal safeguards – will be scrutinised in detail by MPs from across the House during today’s debate. This is the first time the legislation has returned to the chamber since its Second Reading in November, when a decisive majority of MPs voted in favour of the principle of change.
A number of improvements were made to the Bill at Committee Stage – including tighter eligibility criteria, a requirement that doctors can only discuss assisted dying alongside all other available end-of-life options, and the creation of a new Assisted Dying Commission to oversee cases – and it returns to the Commons stronger and safer than ever.
More than 120 amendments have been tabled for debate during Report Stage, aimed at further strengthening the Bill, and ensuring it is practical and workable for dying people, families and clinicians.
In Scotland, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, proposed by Liam McArthur MSP, passed its Stage 1 vote earlier this week with strong cross-party support, marking a major step forward in Holyrood. In Isle of Man, the Assisted Dying Bill has cleared all stages in both the House of Keys and the Legislative Council and is now awaiting Royal Assent, with the law expected to come into force as early as 2027. Jersey’s assisted dying bill is expected to be debated later this spring, after Assembly Members voted to support the principle of the reform last year.
The largest ever opinion poll on assisted dying, conducted in early 2024, found three-quarters of Britons support a change in the law, with majority backing in every constituency in Great Britain and across all demographics.
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For more information or interview requests, please email Molly Pike, Senior Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk or call 07855209809