BREAKING: Assisted Dying Bill in House of Commons – path now open to compassionate law change

Humanists UK today welcomes the introduction of a private member’s bill on assisted dying by Kim Leadbeater MP, calling it a historic once in a generation opportunity for choice and dignity. 

Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, said:

‘Today marks the historic first step in a journey that should lead to one of the most consequential and compassionate reforms in our history, finally giving thousands of suffering people the choice and dignity they desire and deserve.

‘Parliamentarians will have in front of them vital questions about eligibility, process, and safeguards, that it will be the duty of all of society to help them address.

‘Drawing on our own decades of policy and research in this field, and on the best of the international experience of the 31 legal jurisdictions in the world that are ahead of us, we at Humanists UK look forward to supporting Kim and all legislators with this once-in-a-generation legislation. 

‘Parliament owes it to the many courageous, suffering people who have fought for this change to make sure they consider as broad a range of options for the new law as possible. 

‘Any assisted dying law needs to work for all the people who need it. Half of the Britons who have travelled to Switzerland for an assisted death would not have been helped by a law that is restricted to people with six months or fewer left to live.

‘Retaining such restriction, which has been a feature of previous Bills, would be a major error.’

Announcing her Bill, Kim Leadbeater MP said:

‘I know that life is precious. But no two people’s lives are the same. What is in the best interests of one person may not be right for another. I believe that we should all have the right to a good life and, where possible, a good death. Which is why this Bill is about individual choice and autonomy, something everyone one of us deserves.

‘Parliament should now be able to consider a change in the law that would offer reassurance and relief – and most importantly, dignity and choice – to people in the last months of their lives.

‘Having heard the testimonies of people who have lived through the reality of the current situation, I know what it would mean for so many to have the choice of what their final days look like. But in order to give people that choice, MPs themselves must now decide. It is a heavy responsibility and I feel that myself. But to do nothing would be a decision in itself. One that would leave too many people as they come to the end of their life continuing to suffer in often unbearable pain and fear of what is to come, denied the choice they deserve.’

Further information

Kim Leadbeater’s bill is expected to be formally introduced in the Commons on October 16 with the first full debate likely to take place later this year.

Humanists UK campaigns for the law to cover mentally competent adults who are terminally ill and also those who are suffering intolerably from incurable conditions which may not be terminal. Humanists UK also campaigns for strong safeguards to prevent abuse of any new law and make sure that only those with a genuine and settled determination for assistance are eligible.

Conditions that are incurable but may not be terminal and may lead someone to want an assisted death include those with multiple sclerosis, locked-in syndrome and Parkinson’s. Further, some terminal conditions see people suffering so much that they need an assisted death before they have six months or fewer to live, such as motor neurone disease, Huntingdon’s, and progressive supranuclear palsy. In some cases, people may lose mental capacity if forced to wait until they have six months or fewer to live before they can have an assisted death.

The Assisted Dying Bill will apply to England and Wales only. A private member’s bill in Scotland by Liam McArthur MSP has been introduced in the Scottish Parliament.