Our position on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, also known as the Assisted Dying Bill, has passed its second reading in the House of Commons this afternoon after 330 MPs voted in favour of the Bill and 275 voted against.

The Private Members Bill was put forward by Labour MP, Kim Leadbeater, and will grant terminally ill adults the right to medically end their lives with the assistance of a doctor. The new legislation would make it legal for terminally ill patients in England and Wales, with only six months left to live, to make the choice to end their lives.

The Bill proposes a number of safeguards including requirements for patients to indicate their wish to die in two separate declarations, to meet with two independent doctors to confirm eligibility and for a high court judge to rule on the decision.

Now that the Bill has passed its second reading, it will progress to Committee Stage. This is an opportunity for a cross-party committee of MPs to examine the Bill line by line. This often takes place within a few weeks of the Bill’s second reading, however Parliament will be going into recess on 19th December, so the exact timings are yet to be confirmed.

Kim Leadbeater MP has moved a motion to enable the Committee to take evidence orally and in writing on the Bill’s provisions. This is quite unusual for a Private Members’ Bill at Committee Stage, but she has emphasised the importance of ensuring everyone can contribute to shaping the legislation.

Our position on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

“We understand that the choices that people face as they approach the end of their lives are deeply personal, and that there are many different perspectives. As a charity we are here for everyone affected by pancreatic cancer across the UK and provide information and support to help individual’s make choices around their care that are right for them. Now that the Assisted Dying Bill has moved through to committee stage we are supportive of there being further debate and discussion.

Unfortunately as pancreatic cancer can progress very quickly, there will be complexities in ensuring legislation on assisted dying can work for this patient group, and their loved ones, who may not have much time to complete the process. It is important that the needs of people with pancreatic cancer are considered during the development of this legislation and the processes to be put in place to enable assisted dying.

Ensuring access to high quality palliative and end of life care that helps those with a terminal prognosis manage their symptoms effectively and make choices around their end of life care that are right for them is essential.”