Tamasin Perkins comments in Today's Family Lawyer on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
min readEfforts to introduce assisted dying legislation in England and Wales have stalled after the Bill ran out of parliamentary time in the House of Lords, with supporters criticising peers for delaying its progress.
The House of Commons first approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in November 2024 by a majority of 55. A subsequent vote later that month saw the Bill pass with a reduced majority of 23 before it was sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
More than 1,200 amendments were tabled by peers, and the Bill has now failed to progress before the end of the current parliamentary session. Its slow advance highlights the complexity of legislating in this area and the significant legal and practical issues that remain unresolved.
If there is an intention to pursue the legislation further, there is a strong case for reintroducing it as a government bill, allowing for full consultation, careful drafting and sufficient parliamentary time.
Tamasin Perkins, Partner in our Private Wealth Disputes team, comments in Today's Family Lawyer:
Assisted dying is an emotive issue on which people feel strongly on all sides. That is why the scrutiny this Bill has received matters. Whatever view is taken on assisted dying in principle, the real challenge has always been whether the safeguards are robust enough in practice, particularly in cases involving subtle coercion, family pressure, financial abuse or questions around capacity.
"Using the Parliament Acts for an issue of this ethical sensitivity would risk appearing heavy-handed and could set a troubling precedent. In an area as serious as this, taking more time to get the law right is part of the protection the process is there to provide.
Read the full article in Today's Family Lawyer here.
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