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  • Press release
  • 19th July 2024

Assisted Dying Bill to be introduced in House of Lords, paving the way for law change

Comes after Prime Minister ‘doubled down’ on commitment to parliamentary time for debate, with Third Reading of Isle of Man assisted dying bill due next week Lord Falconer: ‘Current law is a mess that urgently needs fixing’
Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill will be introduced to the House of Lords after the Bill was drawn second in the Lords private members’ bills ballot 2024 today (Friday 19th July). The Bill, aiming to offer safe, compassionate choice to dying people, is due for its First Reading on Friday 26th July, with a Second Reading expected to follow in the autumn. It comes after the Prime Minister last week doubled down on his commitment to making time for an assisted dying bill to be debated and for a free vote – a promise he made personally to Dame Esther Rantzen earlier this year. Next week the Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill will have its Third Reading debate, the furthest an assisted dying bill has ever reached in the British Isles. Lord Falconer’s Bill proposes that terminally ill, mentally competent adults should have the option of assisted dying alongside access to high-quality end-of-life care. The proposed law would be subject to strict safeguards that have been tried-and-tested in Australia, New Zealand and parts of the US, including that the dying person must meet strict eligibility criteria, be assessed by two independent doctors and self-administer the life-ending medication if their request is approved.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton said:

“The blanket ban on assisted dying is a mess and offers no compassion or protection to those at the end of their lives. It leaves them to fend for themselves: either to suffer as they die despite the best efforts of medical professionals or to die lonely deaths at their own hands or in Switzerland, risking prosecution for loved ones who accompany them. The public has been waiting long enough for us to change the law and this Bill could at last right the harms inflicted by our outdated laws. It is urgently time for compassion and change.” Prior to the General Election, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens all made manifesto commitments on assisted dying, with Sir Keir Starmer making a personal pledge to make time available for debate. During the election period, parliamentary candidates across the country received over 66,400 emails from members of the public declaring ‘Dignity Has My Vote’ and asking how would-be MPs would vote on a future assisted dying bill. The issue was also raised in election hustings across the country, with strong support from across the political spectrum. Three quarters of the British public support the legalisation of assisted dying, with support high across all demographic and voting intentions. An assisted dying bill was last debated in the House of Lords in 2021, introduced by crossbench peer and Honorary President of Dignity in Dying Baroness Meacher. The Bill received high support amongst peers and the public at its Second Reading but was not given further time for debate. Since then, assisted dying bills have been introduced to the Parliaments of Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man, and now all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory have legalised assisted dying. They join New Zealand, several US states and countries across Europe, North and South America. The Isle of Man’s Assisted Dying Bill will have its Third Reading on Tuesday 23rd July. If the Bill passes this stage, it will be a rubber stamp for law change as it cannot be rejected by the Legislative Council, the island’s upper house, at the next stage.

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:

“Assisted dying is a movement whose time has come. The British public has long been calling for change and Lord Falconer’s Bill could pave the way for a law that gives dying people the safe, compassionate choice they urgently want and need. “For as long as we don’t have an assisted dying law in this country, terminally ill people will continue to suffer despite excellent care. Many will be forced to take matters into their own hands, both here and abroad. Countries like Australia and New Zealand have shown us there is a kinder and safer way. The time has come to follow in their footsteps. “The Prime Minister has doubled down on his promise to make time for this debate and dying people will be holding him to account; they simply do not have time to wait. As reform grows closer in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Scotland, we are on the brink of historic change across the British Isles.”

*ENDS*

For more information or interview requests, please email Molly Pike, Senior Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, molly.pike@dignityindying.org.uk, or call 07855209809.