Peers accused of assisted dying invoice sabotage as ‘merciless’ bid to movie final moments condemned
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has led the push to legalise assisted dying, said peers who oppose the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill were trying to sabotage it
Peers have been accused of proposing “totally unnecessary” and “very cruel” amendments to the assisted dying bill to thwart a law change.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has led the push to legalise assisted dying, said members of the House of Lords who oppose the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill were trying to sabotage it.
The law would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
Supporters fear time is running out to pass the bill before the end of the parliamentary session in the Spring, scuppering its chance of becoming law. But critics say such important legislation needs further scrutiny.
Ms Leadbeater said: “What we’re seeing with this Bill, sadly, is well over 1,000 amendments have been tabled, many of which are totally unnecessary and some of which are actually just very cruel.
“It’s looking increasingly like people who are fundamentally opposed to a change in the law, a view which I respect, (are) trying to prevent the law passing.” Asked if scrutiny was becoming sabotage, she said: ‘I think, sadly, it is.’
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Ms Leadbeater highlighted several amendments for being particularly cruel, including one that said a dying person’s last moments should be filmed. “That just seems incredibly intrusive and heartless to be quite honest with you,” the MPs said.
Another said a dying person must not have left the country within the last 12 months, preventing them from saying goodbye to loved ones abroad.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former Paralympic champion who opposes assisted dying, said peers were trying to put in safeguards to fill “massive gaps” in the legislation.
“These are about exploring coercion,” she said. “At this stage, we don’t vote; we’re actually there to unpack the bill.
“So the same with the recording of someone’s death – that is about being able to spot coercion. It’s about being able to learn, it’s been about trying to improve what happens when somebody dies.” She added: “If we are going to have this (legislation) we have to make it safe.”
The Bill was approved by MPs in June but its passage through the Lords has been slow. Only 80 out of more than 1,150 amendments have been discussed, sparking fears that peers are time-wasting to prevent it from becoming law.
Peers are not supposed to block legislation if it is part of the Government’s election-winning manifesto. But the assisted dying bill was not included in Labour’s manifesto, and was instead brought forward by backbencher Ms Leadbeater as a private member’s bill.
