The Senedd has voted in favour of the Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 28 votes in favour, 23 against, 2 abstentions. Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision have welcomed today’s vote in the Senedd, and hope that the Westminster Parliament sees it as a vote of confidence in the Assisted Dying Bill.
The vote does not change the criminal law on assisted dying, but confirms that the Welsh Government should be able to design and oversee its own implementation of the law, rooted in Welsh values, language, and healthcare structures.
However, due to a concerted filibustering effort in the House of Lords, with a record number of amendments to the Bill, it looks almost certain that the Bill will not pass this Parliamentary session. This means the Bill will need to be brought back in a future session.
Gemma Williams, from Carmarthenshire, has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years. She supports the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and backs terminally ill people having a choice. She said:
‘I’m so proud of the Welsh Parliament today. I watched family members die an awful death, and as someone who has lived with MS for over twenty years, I know the importance of feeling safe, respected, and in control of my own care. Giving Wales the power to tailor how the law works will protect people like me and will hopefully ensure no one has to go through what my family did.’
Kathy Riddick, Wales Coordinator at Humanists UK, said:
‘This is a hugely important moment for Wales. By passing the Legislative Consent Motion, the Senedd has ensured that dying people in Wales will not be treated as an afterthought. Wales can now shape an assisted dying system that reflects our language, our communities, and our NHS, and that protects people regardless of where they live or how much money they have.’
Graham Winyard, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said:
‘This decision puts fairness and dignity first. Assisted dying will still be accompanied by some of the strongest safeguards anywhere in the world, but thanks to this vote, Wales can now make sure those safeguards work properly for Welsh patients, families, and clinicians.
All eyes now return to Westminster, where a small cohort of the House of Lords is currently using game-playing and procedural tactics to put the Assisted Dying Bill in jeopardy. They cannot be allowed to frustrate the will of the public, the Commons and the Senedd.’
What is the Legislative Consent Motion (LCM)
The LCM concerns a small number of clauses inserted into the Bill to ensure Wales can shape its own implementation of assisted dying. These include:
- Making sure people can give information, have assessments, and get reports in Welsh,
- Letting Welsh Ministers give guidance that fits the needs of Welsh communities,
- Allowing the Welsh healthcare system (including NHS Wales) to provide assisted deaths,
- Making sure Wales is involved in checking the system and reporting on how it works.
Notes
74% of Welsh people support a change in the law. Support is broad-based across all major political parties.
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan@humanists.uk or phone 07456 200033. (media only)
Humanists UK is making the following photos available to the media to use – credit to Simona Sermont/Humanists UK – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
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.