Peers debate assisted suicide Bill

Today, Members of the House of Lords considered the Terminally Ill Adult (End of Life) Bill at second reading.

The legislation passed the Commons at third reading in June by just 23 votes. This was a reduced majority compared to the second reading in the Commons.

Today, 90 Peers spoke in the debate. 28 were supporting the Bill, 54 opposed it and eight said they were uncertain. But there are another 81 who must wait until next week. The high number of Peers who want to speak is a testimony to the gravity of the issues being considered in this debate.

By convention, the House of Lords does not ordinarily reject government legislation. However, the assisted suicide bill is a private members’ bill and the Lords is therefore not bound by this convention.

Today was only the first day of second reading. So many Peers want to speak that there will be a second day of second reading in a week’s time.

A vote at this stage is unlikely. Again, by convention, the Lords does not always vote at second reading. If there is no vote, or if there is and it passes, it will then go to committee.

At the moment there are four committee days scheduled. After committee, it will come back to the Lords for consideration of further debate on detailed changes at report stage and a vote would most likely happen at third reading.

During the debate, there was a chorus of criticism from a range of Peers, representing different political backgrounds. Here are some key quotes from the debate.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May:

“I have a friend who calls it the license to kill Bill. It is not an assisted dying Bill. It is an assisted suicide Bill. As a society we believe suicide is wrong. The government has a national suicide prevention strategy. We bemoan the number of young people who are lured into committing suicide by social media and what they read on the internet. This week is world suicide awareness week. Suicide is wrong. But this Bill effectively says that suicide is okay. What message does that send to our society? Suicide is not okay. Suicide is wrong. This Bill is wrong and in my opinion it should not pass."

Baroness Grey-Thompson:

“Good laws are not made from hard cases, soundbites don’t make watertight bills. We’ve heard this Bill is the safest in the world. However during committee stage in the other place, Judges were replaced by a panel in a contradictory term called judge-plus."

Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally:

“I am a former government chief nursing officer and I chaired the UK bereavement commission. But as a nurse, a priest, a daughter and a granddaughter, I have had the privilege of being with many people when they die. Most people die well. I have known people to experience the most valuable days of their life as it comes to an end. To change the law is to change society. Any law that introduces choice to a few is not limited in effect to that few. I am concerned for those who will face internal and subtle pressure to end their lives in the absence of adequate palliative and social care or to avoid being a burden to their families.”

Lord Herbert:

“If you believe that personal autonomy, the right to choose death is the overarching principle, why should the law logically stop at the terminally ill? What about the terminally miserable? Why shouldn’t it be anyone’s right to die? We already know how the elderly are too often regarded in our society, as a burden or a nuisance.”

Lord Blencathra:

“I am not opposed to assisted dying in principle but I am opposed to this appallingly drafted Bill which is a travesty of a private members bill. It is larger and more controversial than many government bills and should have proper scrutiny.”

Baroness Keeley:

“It is deeply troubling that this Bill and the debates surrounding it certainly before today have given so little consideration to palliative care. I oppose assisted suicide in principle and I oppose this bill. It is poorly constructed and it was rushed through the Commons without inadequate scrutiny with many amendments not debated. Crucially it does not even require that those requesting assisted suicide are offered palliative care assessment first. Yet specialists tell us that palliative care can help people who wish to die rediscover reasons to live. Sadly too many terminally ill people feel abandoned by the NHS due to the lack of palliative care.”

Baroness Goudie:

“Why is this called by its supporters an assisted dying bill? It is nothing of the sort. Assistance sounds good. Dying is a natural process which comes to us all. Pain relief and emotional support are vital and uncontroversial. This Bill is not about that, it is about assisted suicide. I understand why some see this as a matter of choice. But we cannot ignore the context in which that decision is made. When someone is terminally ill, frightened, exhausted and overwhelmed they are at their most vulnerable. And it precisely at that moment that this Bill proposes to offer them a legal means to end their life and that is aided by others, approved by our institutions and normalised by law. The risk of coercion remains real. I don't believe we can eliminate that risk. Once we create a legal route to assisted suicide how can we ever be sure a patient's choice is not shaped even subtly by pressure, manipulation, guilt or simply the sense of being a burden."

Lord Carlile:

“I am opposed to this Bill in principle. But above all I’m opposed to this Bill because in my view it is not an adequate Bill to deal with all the issue raised and does not provide anything like sufficient protection for those vulnerable people who might be persuaded against their real will to accept assisted suicide. Indeed despite the large resources supporting the purposes of this Bill and the involvement of many experts, this Bill earns a D minus for its draftmanship, even after all those committee meetings in the other place. The Bill needs to be dismantled if it is to be an effective and proper Bill to give it legislative legitimacy. The Delegated Powers committer produced a report. By the calm standards of that committee their criticism is excoriating. They say the Bill is simply not fit for purpose. It is incompetently drafted.”

Please pray as the debate continues. It is critical the legislation receives robust and rigorous scrutiny.

Pray too that the truth will be heard and that ultimately this Bill will be rejected.

You can also write to Peers and share your opinions and where appropriate, personal stories that highlight the power of palliative care and why assisted suicide is so dangerous.