UK: Details of Assisted Dying Bill Published

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Facts

• Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Kim Leadbeater has claimed that current laws surrounding assisted dying in England and Wales are 'not fit for purpose' as she published the details of a new bill on Monday aiming to legalize the process.^[1]
• The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill seeks to allow terminally ill adults with an expected maximum of six months left to live in England and Wales to be assisted in ending their life if their request is made voluntarily and with the consent of two doctors and a High Court judge.^[2]
• There must be seven days separating the two doctor assessments, and — after court approval — unless death is imminent, the patient must wait another 14 days before self-administering life-ending medication.^[3][4]
• Labour leader and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has allowed a free vote on legislation concerning assisted dying, meaning MPs will not be told how to vote on the matter by their party whips.^[5][6]
• In 2015, an assisted dying bill was rejected by MPs at the second reading stage by a margin of 329-117 votes. The House of Commons will now initially debate and vote on the new bill on Nov. 29.^[7][8]
• According to an October Ipsos poll, 66% of UK adults believe that prescribed self-medicated assisted dying for terminally ill patients should be legal, compared to 16% who believe it should be illegal, and 18% who are unsure or prefer not to say.^[9]

Sources: ^[1]bbc.co.uk, ^[2]publications.parliament.uk, ^[3]The Telegraph, ^[4]Guardian, ^[5]Parliament, ^[6]FT, ^[7]TheyWorkForYou, ^[8]BBC News and ^[9]Ipsos.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Mirror and Dignity in Dying. While concerns over a highly personal and controversial topic are to always be respected, now is the time to move away from the archaic status quo. The legislation, while liberating, will be one of the strictest assisted dying legislations in the world with harsh crackdowns against those who misuse the system. Now is the time for MPs to pick the side of compassion and finally give terminally ill individuals the autonomy over their lives that they deserve.
• Narrative B, as provided by Spectator (UK) and Inews.Co.Uk. Leadbeater's bill is flawed and cannot be allowed to pass. On close inspection, it allows those seeking to end their life to repeatedly seek alternative doctors' opinions until they get the answer they want, while the promise of strong punishments against those who coerce death is, in reality, difficult, if not impossible, to prove. With an NHS already on the brink and the bill likely only to be the start of a slippery slope, it would not be in good conscience for this proposal to become law.