A Bill to legalise assisted suicide for the terminally ill is being be introduced to the UK Parliament this week.
In England and Wales. at the moment, it is a criminal offence to assist someone to end their life, but a British Labour Life peer wants to change that by introducing a potentially dangerous Bill to the House of Lords on Friday that will legalise euthanasia.
This will be his fifth attempt, only this time it will be different as he has the backing of the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
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Expose News reports: Former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton has tabled a private member’s Bill – the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill – to allow those in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their life with assistance.
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A private member’s Bill is a type of public Bill – meaning it aims to change the law as it applies to the general population – introduced to the UK Parliament by a backbench MP or peer, not a government minister.
Starmer has said he is in favour of a change in the law and will allow Members of Parliament to vote on the issue according to their conscience. But, according to the Daily Mail, the Prime Minister has indicated that while he will make time for a Commons vote, it is not likely to happen for at least a year.
In Scotland, a Member’s Bill, introduced by Liam McArthur MSP in March, proposes similar legislation for terminally ill adults. In 2021 McArthur carried out a public consultation on his Bill. Responding to the consultation, The Church of Scotland wrote:
Although the term “assisted dying” is used in the title of the proposed Bill, what is actually being proposed is assisted suicide …
The current societal prohibition on killing is clear; to move away from this would involve more than a simple modification of the law, but would represent a significant shift from which there would be no return. This would have profound effects on how society regards those in our communities who are vulnerable. This is not just the elderly and infirm, but also those with disabilities, and those who are unable to speak up to protect themselves.
Response to the Proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, Church of Scotland
When McArthur introduced the Bill to the Scottish Parliament in March, disability rights groups again expressed concerns about potential pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives and the potential for abuse.
Dr. Gillian Wright, a former palliative medicine registrar now representing Our Duty of Care, an alliance of healthcare professionals opposing assisted dying, said: “The primary danger of assisted suicide is that individual lives are devalued by society because they are ill, disabled, confused or that their contribution to society is perceived to be minimal. The secondary danger is that terminally ill and disabled individuals may begin to devalue themselves because of the burden that they perceive they are to society.”
The Scottish Bill is currently at Stage 1, the Parliamentary Committee stage.
Now in England and Wales, we are faced with the same nightmare as Lord Falconer of Thoroton is introducing his damaging and dangerous legislation; this time with the Prime Minister’s full support.
