UK to discuss allowing assisted dying in House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords will debate the core aims of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill across two days on Friday (12 September) and the following Friday (19 September).
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a private members’ bill, which is a type of public bill introduced by an individual member of the Lords (rather than the government).
If passed, it would allow adults in England and Wales with a prognosis of less than six months to live to be provided with assistance to end their lives, subject to eligibility criteria and conditions.
During the second reading, members will discuss the main issues in the bill and highlight concerns or specific areas where they think amendments are needed.
More than 200 members of the House of Lords are expected to speak in the debate. Members bring a range of experience from their personal and professional lives to their work in the Lords.
These include:
- Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Labour), former Lord Chancellor, will open the debate.
- Lord Biggar (Conservative), Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at Oxford University
- Baroness Cass (Crossbench), clinical adviser to the Department for Health and Social Care
- Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench), doctor and former Chair of the Palliative Care Strategy Implementation Board for Wales
- The Earl of Arran (Conservative), Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench) and Baroness Jay of Paddington (Labour), former members of the House of Lords Committee on the Assisted Dying for the terminally ill Bill, 2004-05.
- Lord Kamall (Conservative), Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care
- Bishop of London,Bishop of Newcastle, Bishop of Southwark, Archbishop of York, current Bishops of the Church of England. The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, was also the former Chief Nursing Officer for England.
- Baroness Rafferty (Labour), Professor of Nursing Policy, King’s College London
- Lord Stevens of Birmingham (Crossbench), Chair, Cancer Research UK
