Key clauses strengthening Assisted Dying Bill accepted, as historic Commons debate resumes
Today (Friday 13 June), Kim Leadbeater MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill resumes its Report Stage in the House of Commons, marking another step forward in the campaign for a safe, compassionate assisted dying law, backed by the overwhelming majority of the public.
At the start of today’s sitting, MPs accepted a number of amendments designed to strengthen and clarify key provisions of the Bill, all tabled by Kim Leadbeater and debated on the first day of Report Stage on 16 May and passed today without the need for a vote. These included enhanced protections for healthcare professionals, and clearer procedural and reporting protocols.
The Commons is expected to spend more than four further hours debating further proposed amendments today, with cross-party MPs engaging seriously with the detail – making this the furthest an assisted dying Bill has ever progressed at Westminster. The Bill will then be debated and voted on at its Third Reading, expected next Friday 20th June, which determines whether it will proceed for further scrutiny and debate in the House of Lords.
This is the second time the legislation – which would give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the option of an assisted death within strict legal safeguards – has returned to the chamber since its Second Reading in November. Then, a clear majority of MPs backed the principle of reform following more than four hours of debate. This was followed by more than 90 hours of detailed scrutiny during Committee Stage over several months earlier this year.
One key amendment accepted today, tabled by Kim Leadbeater MP in consultation with the Government, strengthens the Bill’s already extensive protections for individual health and care workers. It ensures that professionals are safeguarded from detriment whether they choose to participate in the assisted dying process or not. The Bill already specifies that no healthcare worker is obliged to be involved beyond duties such as notification or record-keeping.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:
“Today’s debate marks another milestone in the journey towards a more compassionate and safeguarded law. The amendments passed this morning send a strong message to healthcare professionals that their right to be involved in the process or not will be fully respected and protected, just as it is in other jurisdictions. Choice is at the very heart of this Bill, for patients and for the health workers caring for them.
“Every stage of this Bill’s progress has made it stronger, safer and more practical. A majority of MPs backed the principle of assisted dying in November, and now they can be confident that this legislation is not only grounded in choice and compassion, but includes the kind of protections the public and healthcare professionals rightly expect.
“Our country has never been closer to meaningful change. Scotland is progressing its own Bill, the Isle of Man legalised assisted dying this year and Jersey will debate reform in autumn. More than 300 million people worldwide already have access to choice at the end of life. The momentum is undeniable, and Westminster now has the chance to make history and do right by dying people and bereaved families.”
Two members of the Bill Committee have confirmed that the improvements made have addressed their earlier concerns. Jack Abbott MP, who previously voted against the Bill, and Marie Tidball MP, who backed it conditionally in November, both cited strengthened safeguards as pivotal in shifting their positions. Senior Labour MPs Chris Bryant and Ellie Reeves have indicated this week they will vote for the Bill, having been absent at Second Reading.
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For more information or interview requests, please email Tom Steen, Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, tom.steen@dignityindying.org.uk or call 07356135578.