“Democracy must prevail”: Hundreds rally behind terminally ill people to protest Lords’ obstruction of assisted dying

Hundreds of supporters gathered on Parliament Square in solidarity with terminally ill people this morning. It comes ahead of the final sitting of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Lords this Friday (24 April 2026), when, despite the backing of MPs and the public, the Bill will run out of time due to what is widely accepted as deliberate obstruction by a handful of unelected Peers.

Ahead of Friday’s debate, four terminally ill women gathered in Parliament Square this morning to form a living monument to dignity and choice. Hundreds of the public, joined by Rebecca Wilcox (presenter and daughter of Esther Rantzen), Bill sponsors Kim Leadbeater MP and Lord Falconer, and a dozen cross party parliamentarians, stood in solidarity, determined to see this landmark Bill through to its democratic conclusion. A fifth plinth stood empty: a tribute to Nathaniel Dye, a 40-year-old music teacher and campaigner who died of terminal bowel cancer earlier this year, and to all those who have died while fighting for choice.

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:

“Today, people gathered on Parliament Square in record numbers with a powerful message: this campaign is not going anywhere. Behind every terminally ill person is a nation that believes in choice; a nation united in outrage at what has been done to this Bill and in determination to see it through.

“A small group of unelected Peers chose to run down the clock on legislation already backed by MPs and the public, compounding the suffering of dying people in the process. But this is delay, not defeat; the last-resort procedural tactics of those who know they have firmly lost the argument over the principle. 

“Democracy must prevail. The will of the British people remains unwavering. MPs stand ready to bring back the Bill and finish what they started. Together, we will change the law.”

The Bill would give terminally ill adults the legal, safeguarded option of an assisted death in the last 6 months of life. It has the backing of nearly eight in ten members of the public and received more than 200 hours of parliamentary scrutiny and debate since its introduction in 2024.

The demonstration marked a decisive turning point in the campaign: with the Bill automatically falling at the end of this parliamentary session, attention turns firmly back to MPs and the expected return of the Bill in the new session in May.

This afternoon, cross-party MPs will present petitions from their constituents to Downing Street and to the House of Commons, criticising the deliberate delay to the Bill’s progress and calling on the Government to ensure its passage. This follows letters from 150 MPs, including 100 Labour, to the Prime Minister in recent weeks, urging for time to be guaranteed in the new parliamentary session for the Bill to complete its stages. Under the Parliament Acts, if the Lords reject the Bill twice in successive sessions, the Commons can pass it into law without their consent.

Sophie Blake, 53, who took part in the installation was diagnosed with stage four secondary breast cancer in May 2022. She said:

“I’ve been outraged at the delaying tactics of a small number of Peers in recent months. There is a human cost to delaying the progress of this Bill, and I fear that due to the actions of a few powerful people, dying people like me will be forced to suffer. Like so many living with cancer, I know I am just one bad scan away from facing the end of my life. I’m so proud today to be standing alongside other campaigners living with terminal illnesses who are full of courage, humanity, kindness and compassion. I only hope parliamentarians can find that compassion for us and bring back the Bill in the next Parliament.”

Christie Arntsen, 57, another participant, has lived with incurable metastatic breast cancer for more than a decade. Christie’s cancer has recently  returned for a fifth time. She said:

“I believe that we have the right to live with dignity and make our own life choices. I also believe this applies to the end of life. I watched my grandmother die a protracted death; it took years for me to remember her as the person she was rather than who she became at the end. I do not want this for myself or my family. The Assisted Dying Bill gave me so much hope. Parliamentarians should hold the people they’re legislating for in mind as they debate Bills like this — I, like so many people, don’t have the time to wait for a delay in legalising assisted dying.”

Also taking part were:

Elise Burns, 52, who has secondary cancer of the lungs, liver and bones. She wants the law to change to prevent thousands more dying people being forced to suffer, including herself.

Pamela Fisher, 64, who has terminal breast cancer that has spread to her bones. As a Church of England lay preacher, Pamela believes that Christian compassion is entirely compatible with the right to choose at the end of life.

A parliamentary petition calling for Government action to secure the Bill’s passage has now been signed by more than 100,000 people and will be considered for a Westminster Hall debate in the coming months. 

*Ends*

For more information/requests please contact Tom Steen, Media and Campaigns Officer at tom.steen@dignityindying.org.uk or 07356135578