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MPs have ‘historic opportunity to bring about real change for dying people’, as first Commons Assisted Dying Bill in a decade announced today

Kim Leadbeater MP to bring Private Member’s Bill on Assisted Dying, following introduction of Lord Falconer’s Bill to Lords in July

An assisted dying law that allows choice at the end of life for terminally ill, mentally competent adults is now a step closer to reality, as a Private Member’s Bill on the issue is announced today (Thursday 3rd October 2024). Kim Leadbeater MBE, Labour MP for Spen Valley, will introduce the Choice at the End of Life Bill after being drawn first in the House of Commons Private Member’s Bill ballot last month. This bill builds on best practice from assisted dying laws overseas, insights from the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry published earlier this year, and previous proposals, to set out a practical model for law change that reflects the widespread and enduring public support for assisted dying. If passed, it would introduce practical measures to assess eligibility, ensure rigorous medical and judicial oversight, and robustly monitor every part of the process.

The Bill will have its First Reading on Wednesday 16th October, with the date of the Second Reading to be announced in the coming weeks. The announcement comes after Lord Falconer introduced his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill to the House of Lords in July. Lord Falconer’s Bill will have its Second Reading on Friday 15th November.

This comes as the Prime Minister last month reaffirmed his promise to Dame Esther Rantzen to ensure parliamentary time for a Private Members’ Bill on assisted dying to be debated, and to guarantee MPs a free vote – an opportunity the Commons has not had for almost a decade.

Last month, evidence of the public’s support for law change continued to grow as the first ever citizens’ jury on assisted dying in England overwhelmingly recommended a change in the law for terminally ill adults. In March, the largest ever survey of public opinion on assisted dying found three-quarters of people in Great Britain are in favour of law change, with a majority of support in every parliamentary constituency and across all ages, genders, socio-economic status and voting intention.

These latest Bills in Westminster represent robust, evidence-based proposals for law change that seek to provide compassionate choice to dying people who want and need it and introduce stronger protections for everyone in England and Wales. The Bills would introduce practical safety measures, including medical and judicial oversight, with protections to ensure the dying person has a clear and settled wish to die on their terms…

The Rt Hon Lord Falconer of Thoroton said: 

“Assisted dying is the UK’s next great social reform; of that I am increasingly certain. The current blanket ban – now more than six decades old – is a mess, and offers no compassion or protection to those at the end of their lives. The public has been waiting long enough for us to reform this law and I am delighted that an assisted dying bill will now be introduced in the House of Commons.

“I have promised Peers the chance to debate my Bill in November, but it is clear that only a Commons Bill can achieve the law change that is so desperately needed, provided it is guaranteed sufficient time in parliament – a promise the Prime Minister has made. I look forward to working with Kim and colleagues across both Houses to ensure that a safe, compassionate assisted dying law is passed.”

Sophie Blake, a 51-year-old mother and former TV sports presenter from Brighton, who has terminal secondary breast cancer which has spread to her lungs, liver and pelvic bone, has spoken of her relief following the news.

Sophie said:

“I cannot begin to describe the hope this announcement has brought me. Knowing that we are finally moving closer to a serious debate on assisted dying in Parliament has given me a glimmer of hope. This Bill represents the possibility of having a say over my own death and sparing my daughter the trauma of watching me suffer. Like many others facing terminal illness, I love my life, and I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to endure unbearable pain with no option to choose a peaceful death. If the time comes when I can no longer tolerate the suffering, I want to be able to make that decision; to die at home, surrounded by the people I love. I ask MPs to do the right thing and change a law that is forcing dying people like me to choose between suffering a painful death, travelling abroad to die alone or taking my own life.”

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

“This is a historic opportunity to bring about real change for dying people; one that commands vast public support and one that MPs must grip urgently. The mood in Westminster has shifted dramatically, at last catching up with public opinion – with three-quarters of us, from all walks of life and political views, backing a law to introduce greater choice about how we die alongside greater protections for all.

“Safety is woven into the fabric of proposals for law change, introducing practical measures to assess eligibility, ensure rigorous medical oversight, and robustly monitor every part of the process. Westminster’s own Health and Social Care Select Committee conducted an in-depth inquiry into assisted dying which concluded that laws for terminally ill people remain limited over time and often result in improvements to end-of-life care. These laws are in place are in countries like Australia and New Zealand, and have given us a blueprint for legislation based on evidence and grounded in compassion.

“The process of reform has already begun in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man and Westminster will soon have the opportunity to ensure that the law is finally fit for how we live and die in the 21st century. When MPs come to debate this Bill they must remember that dying people are depending on them to do the right thing; to vote for choice, for safety, for compassion and for dignity.”

Similar proposals are being considered in the Scottish, Jersey and Isle of Man parliaments, with assisted dying laws for terminally ill adults already in place across Australia, New Zealand and several American states. In February, a 14-month inquiry on assisted dying by Westminster’s Health and Social Care Select Committee called on the Government to engage in the debate, with law change deemed “increasingly likely” in parts of the British Isles. It found that end-of-life care cannot relieve all suffering, that such care often improves where assisted dying has been legalised, and that laws for terminally ill people do not expand over time.

A Private Member’s Bill on assisted dying introduced by Baroness Meacher in 2021 passed unopposed at Second Reading but ran out of time to progress before the end of the parliamentary session. A Private Member’s Bill introduced by Rob Marris MP was voted down at Second Reading in 2015 despite overwhelming public support.

An Assisted Dying Bill in the Isle of Man passed its Third Reading in July, and will could begin its implementation phase as soon as next year if it is approved by the island’s upper house and receives Royal Assent, with assisted dying potentially an option for terminally ill residents by 2027. Assisted dying proposals are also progressing in the parliaments of Jersey, where a draft bill is being developed after its States Assembly voted overwhelmingly to introduce a bill for terminally ill residents, and in Scotland, where Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill will is expected to have its Stage 1 vote in the coming months.

Across the world there is a growing trend towards granting choice at the end of life: all Australian states, the Australian Capital Territory, New Zealand and almost a dozen US states have legalised assisted dying as a choice for terminally ill adults, with other laws in place across Europe and North and South America.

*ENDS*

For more information please contact Joseph Crook at Dignity in Dying at joseph.crook@dignityindying.org.uk or 07855 209809