The House of Lords has set up a select committee to examine assisted dying in a historic first. No such committee has ever been created for a Private Members’ Bill originating in the Commons, and this has happened just once for government legislation.
Beginning today, 12 Members of the House of Lords, known as peers, will take evidence on assisted dying from the Bill sponsors, professional bodies, coronial services and ministers. The 12 members of the select committee are:
- Lord Hope of Craighead (Chair)
- Baroness Berger
- Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
- Baron Goddard of Stockport
- Lord Goodman of Wycombe
- Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
- Lord Markham
- Bishop of Newcastle
- Lord Patel
- Baroness Scotland of Asthal
- Baroness Smith of Newnham
- Lord Winston
The move to establish a Select Committee was made during the second day of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Lords. It will not produce a report or make recommendations, but will take and publish evidence. The Select Committee will report by 7 November, and the Bill will then progress to its Committee Stage for detailed line-by-line scrutiny.
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, said:
‘The launch of the select committee continues the unprecedented scrutiny that this Bill has received. No other Private Members’ Bill in history has ever received this many hours of debate, this amount of expert evidence, this amount of public attention.
‘What is crystal clear is that the status quo is unworkable, it leads to unnecessary suffering, painful suicides, and people fleeing their own country in order to take control of their deaths. We hope that peers recognise and listen to the lived experience of the terminally ill and understand why the law must change.’
Dave Sowry, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said:
‘The assisted dying Bill is the most intensely scrutinised legislation this parliament has ever seen. In 2024, a parliamentary inquiry into assisted dying received 68,000 responses from the public, 389 submissions of written evidence, and held three days of oral evidence sessions. The House of Commons Bill committee this year received 444 submissions of written evidence and held five oral evidence sessions, hearing from 50 witnesses.
‘We hope the Select Committee takes evidence from the most important people this debate is centred around, the terminally ill. We cannot fathom how members of the House of Lords could take further evidence about the Terminally Ill Adults Bill without hearing from terminally ill adults. People who are dying deserve to be heard, they deserve the right to make decisions about the end of their lives, and they deserve dignity. ’
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan@humanists.uk
Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision have people and their loved ones who would be affected by this change available for the press.
If you have been affected by the current assisted dying legislation, and want to use your story to support a change in the law, please email campaigns@humanists.uk.
Humanists defend the right of each individual to live by their own personal values, and the freedom to make decisions about their own life so long as this does not result in harm to others. Humanists do not share the attitudes to death and dying held by some religious believers, in particular that the manner and time of death are for a deity to decide, and that interference in the course of nature is unacceptable. We firmly uphold the right to life but we recognise that this right carries with it the right of each individual to make their own judgement about whether their life should be prolonged in the face of pointless suffering.
We recognise that any assisted dying law must contain strong safeguards and the international evidence from countries where assisted dying is legal shows that safeguards can be effective. We also believe that the choice of assisted dying should not be considered an alternative to palliative care, but should be offered together as in many other countries.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 150,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision are both members of the Assisted Dying Coalition, along with Friends at the End, Humanist Society Scotland, and End of Life Choices Jersey.