Update: Baroness Coffey has withdrawn this amendment. We hope it was in light of pressure about its cruel and unworkable nature. Original article presented below:
Liz Truss’s Health Secretary, Baroness Coffey, has proposed an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that would ban people from accessing assisted dying if they have left the country in the past twelve months. Some would find themselves ineligible due to trips before they even found out they were terminally ill. For most, this would essentially act as a ‘holiday ban’, meaning that anyone who wants to travel abroad for the last time, or visit family members abroad, would be barred from doing so. Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision are disappointed that peers are proposing such ludicrous and cruel amendments to the Assisted Dying Bill and urge Baroness Coffey to withdraw this one.
Amendment 15 says that a person would only be eligible for an assisted death if they were ‘ordinarily resident in the UK for twelve months and has not left the UK in that twelve months.’ This amendment would therefore bar anyone from applying for an assisted death if, in the 12 months ahead of the application, they had:
- Been on holiday
- Received a six-month terminal diagnosis having recently been abroad
- Left the country for any purpose, such as a bereavement, work or legal affairs
- Gone to visit a friend or family member in another country
53% of Brits take a holiday abroad in any given year, with 1.7 holidays per person (page 4). This means that the share of the population that would not be able to access assisted dying because, at the time of their diagnosis, they had holidayed in the previous year, would run into the tens of millions – maybe as high as 15-25 million.
People would also need to hope not to have a six-month terminal diagnosis in the autumn, because more people go on holiday in the summer than any other time of the year.
This amendment would also face practical difficulties, as it would require the doctor assessing the eligibility to have access to the patient’s travel history.
This is just one of the 71 amendments that Baroness Coffey, former Health Secretary and a Conservative peer, has put forward to the Bill. Analysis by Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision has shown that seven of the most vocal opponents to the Bill have put forward over 600 amendments between them.
Peers have been accused of attempting to sabotage the Bill, essentially causing it to fail by proposing an unreasonable number of amendments and deliberately making unnecessary speeches in order to time it out. Analysis suggests it would take two decades to debate all the current amendments.
The Bill must pass all parliamentary stages before Spring 2026, or it fails. The Government has just announced 12 further days of House of Lords time that will be set aside for it, in addition to the four days that have already occurred.
Help us support the Assisted Dying Bill and stop the filibustering in the House of Lords. Raise the issue and send a message to peers today.
Louise Shackleton, who accompanied her husband to Dignitas in Switzerland for an assisted death, said:
‘As someone who had to go abroad with my husband to give him the compassionate, dignified death he wanted and deserved, I find this amendment shockingly cruel. People fall ill having recently been abroad, people want to fulfil their bucket list in their final months, and people want to say goodbye to their family in a different country. Dying people deserve compassion, not cruelty.
‘I am concerned that this amendment is not in good faith. It won’t keep anyone safe, or even to encourage worthwhile debate. To me, this amendment is an attempt to further run down the clock and block the Bill through procedure. That’s wrong and it’s undemocratic to use technical tricks to shut down what most people in this country clearly want.’
Richy Thompson, Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Humanists UK, said:
‘The Terminally Ill Adults Bill deserves proper, sensible scrutiny that makes sure that dying people have the best possible options available to them. This amendment does not add anything to the process, and should be withdrawn.’
Graham Winyard, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said:
‘The mask is slipping, and a small group of peers who are claiming to add scrutiny are proposing amendments designed to slow down the process. This amendment provides no extra safety and is unnecessary and cruel. It adds absolutely no additional layer of safety for terminally ill people looking for a safeguarded, compassionate route to shorten their deaths and end their suffering on their own terms.’
Notes
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.