The controversial Assisted Dying Bill comes back in front of MPs on September 11.
Last year MPs backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, with a majority of 314 votes to 291, only for the legislation to fail to pass the House of Lords.
Charlie Jones-Connor, paralegal in the private client team at Wake Smith Solicitors, explains where the bill is at.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be put to a vote on September 11. It proposes allowing adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. They will require the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.
MPs will be given a free vote meaning they are not expected to decide along party lines.
Over 1,100 amendments have been made to the Bill, which is the highest number at this stage in recent parliamentary history.
Key amendments proposed by opponents to the Bill included, for example, a requirement that anyone requesting an assisted death provide a negative pregnancy test, regardless of the applicant’s age or sex. Another proposed amendment would mandate every assisted death be filmed, which constitutes a significant invasion of the privacy of dying people and their loved ones.
Charlie said: “Failure at The House of Lords resulted in it being sent back to the Commons for further amendments.
“If the Bill is approved this time around, it will then go back to the Lords, and then be subject to receiving royal assent. In practice, it is rare for the Crown to reject a Bill that has been approved by Parliament.
“The Government then has two years to implement the legislation and this will likely require extensive public consultation and work within the NHS, and the court system, before the procedure can become available to patients.
“In practice this is likely to mean it would be at least three years from the Bill being introduced to any kind of assisted dying becoming available.”
Assisted dying remains one of the most debated and closely watched legal and ethical issues.
If successful, England and Wales will join a small number of countries worldwide to legalise assisted dying.
For professional advice about estate planning and Wills please contact Charlie Jones-Connor at Wake Smith Solicitors on 0114 224 2084 or email charlie.jones-connor@wake-smith,com
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