--- title: "Lauren Edwards MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill published" date: "2026-07-16T14:38:57+01:00" modified: "2026-07-16T14:48:21+01:00" url: "https://humanists.uk/2026/07/16/lauren-edwards-mps-terminally-ill-adults-end-of-life-bill-published/" post_id: 194413 categories: ["Assisted Dying", "News", "Wales"] --- # Lauren Edwards MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill published ![](https://i0.wp.com/humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Lauren-Edwards-Mp-introducing-the-Bill.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1)©House of CommonsLauren Edwards MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill [has been published](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4157). The Bill is the same as the one passed by MPs in June last year, except for three minor amendments agreed in the House of Lords. Humanists UK, alongside terminally ill humanist celebrant Victoria Denning and Leah Finegold, whose grandmother Barbara died after being denied the choice of an assisted death, is calling on MPs to back the Bill and finally give dying people choice and compassion. #### **Why is it the same Bill?** The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was [undemocratically filibustered](https://humanists.uk/2026/04/24/assisted-dying-bill-falls-in-the-house-of-lords/) in the House of Lords by a minority of peers. By putting forward the same Bill again, Lauren Edwards MP is giving the House of Lords additional time and a second chance to deal effectively with the Bill. The Bill, which has already received an unprecedented amount of scrutiny, should go through every stage again. If the House of Lords acts as a revising chamber and does not block the Bill as it did previously, the [Parliament Act will not apply](https://humanists.uk/2026/06/15/parliament-act-and-assisted-dying-explained-correcting-an-injustice/). #### **Putting the voices of the terminally ill and their families front and centre:** ![](https://i0.wp.com/humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Victoria-Denning.png?resize=1200%2C628&ssl=1)Victoria Denning is a former headteacher, mother of two, and humanist celebrant living in Monmouth. For the last twenty years, she has delivered hundreds of humanist weddings, baby namings, and funerals. She received a shock terminal diagnosis this year, and for the first time, is speaking out publicly about her support for the Bill. #### **Victoria Denning said:** > ‘I’m incredibly relieved the Assisted Dying Bill has been brought back. Receiving the unexpected diagnosis of mesothelioma was devastating after having lived a very full, active and adventurous life. Being told that I probably only had a year left to live made me realise that I have been very lucky until now. I have been independent, I have a loving family and friends around me, and I have lived life to the full. The thought of now slowly declining, having no control over how or when my life ends, fills me with dread. I don’t want to have to make a trip to a foreign country – if I am well enough to do that, then I am well enough to have a few more adventures. > > ‘I, like many other terminally ill people, would like to decide myself when I am ready, when I am in such pain and when I have tied up all the loose ends and said my goodbyes, that now is the time. I am shocked that the Assisted Dying Bill was blocked by a few who think they know best. That’s inhumane and cruel. Although I have supported this Bill from the start, until you are actually told you have a limited time left, you have no idea how important it is to have control over how you live your life and how you end it. I really hope MPs across the political spectrum listen to voices like mine and support this Bill again.’ ![](https://i0.wp.com/humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Leah-and-Barbara-Finegold-1.png?resize=1200%2C628&ssl=1)Leah Finegold, a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker from London, is the granddaughter of Barbara, who died from terminal cancer at the age of 85. Barbara supported a change in the law and wanted an assisted death herself, but was denied that choice. #### **Commenting on the Bill being published, Leah said:** > > ‘For years, my grandma Barbara was open about wanting to die on her own terms. It was devastating to hear someone we loved talk so matter-of-factly about ending her life, but she believed it was the only way to avoid the kind of death she feared. Then she was unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer. Before her illness progressed, she asked me to document her final wishes and wore a bracelet engraved with the words ‘Please Do Not Resuscitate’. Watching her final months unfold, I felt helpless as the choice she had spent years fighting for slipped away. She was never afraid of death; she was afraid of how she would die. > > > ‘Barbara asked me to make sure her voice would still be heard after she was gone. I believe no family should have to watch someone they love endure the very death they spent years trying to avoid, simply because the law denied them that choice. I hope Barbara’s story helps people see why giving terminally ill adults the right to choose would be an act of compassion.’ #### **Nathan Stilwell, spokesperson for Humanists UK, said:** > > ‘We welcome the Bill’s return, bringing with it the hundreds of hours of scrutiny by MPs still reflected in its text, alongside some of the few changes made in the Lords. The filibuster and blocking of the Bill in the Lords was an undemocratic outrage and an insult to elected MPs who worked so hard on it. By supporting the Bill again, MPs can give the Lords a chance to correct that injustice. > > > ‘But while the debate has shifted to one about democracy and the primacy of the elected Commons over the unelected Lords, terminally ill people like Victoria Denning risk being forgotten. They were given hope when MPs voted for the Bill last year, only for that optimism to be crushed by unelected peers. This Bill offers a safe, kind, and compassionate option for dying people. They deserve a voice in this debate, and they deserve the choice at the end of their lives.’ #### Notes Victoria and Leah are available for interview. For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Head of Press and Campaign Communications Nathan Stilwell at or phone 0203 675 0959 (media only). Humanists UK is making the following photos available to the media to use – credit to Simona Sermont/Humanists UK – [1](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/HumanistsUKFreedomOfChoice00029.jpg), [2](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/HumanistsUKFreedomOfChoice00048.jpg), [3](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/HumanistsUKFreedomOfChoice00022.jpg), [4](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/HumanistsUKFreedomOfChoice00021.jpg), [5](https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/HumanistsUKFreedomOfChoice00072-crop.jpg). 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 . 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](https://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. 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.