Lauren Edwards MP has announced she will bring back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, after it was outrageously and undemocratically filibustered by a small group of peers in the House of Lords. Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision welcome the return of the Bill and urge MPs to support the Bill again.
About the filibuster of the Assisted Dying Bill:
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill failed in the House of Lords after nearly 1,300 changes to the Bill were proposed, a record for any parliamentary Bill. Amendments have included a pregnancy test for all applicants, including men, a one-year holiday ban for applicants, and an unworkable requirement for half a dozen GP visits.
We have identified several instances of peers being explicitly clear that they were trying to block the Bill by means other than it being voted down.
The Bill fell because it didn’t complete all its parliamentary stages by the end of the session.
About the Parliament Act and Private Members’ Bills
Lauren Edwards MP came second in the Private Members’ Bill ballot, which is a lottery that gives individual politicians an opportunity to change the law. The higher the politician comes in the ballot, the more parliamentary time they have and the higher the chances are of changing the law.
The Parliament Act means that if the same Bill is approved twice by the elected House of Commons, it does not require the House of Lords’ approval, and can become law.
The Bill still goes through every single step, including the House of Lords again. The only thing the Parliament Act does is ensure that the elected politicians have the final say, not the unelected Lords. The House of Lords can still debate, suggest changes, and vote on the Bill. The only thing it cannot do is block it again. If the Bill is filibustered in the House of Lords again, or if it is voted down, or they suggest changes that wreck the Bill that the House of Commons then reject, the Bill would still become law.
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘We congratulate Lauren Edwards MP on bringing back the Assisted Dying Bill. It’s correcting an injustice after it was undemocratically filibustered in the House of Lords. We cannot let a small group of unelected peers dictate the choices all of us have at the end of our lives.
‘We look forward to supporting Lauren as she navigates this Bill through Parliament a second time. We hope MPs look past the campaign of disinformation, and give terminally ill people choice and compassion at the end of their lives’
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact
- Humanists UK press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959 (media only).
- My Death My Decision kerry.hogan@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or 07922363248 (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.