Key takeaways
Assisted Dying Bill clears Commons stage
MPs support legal change for terminally ill patients.
House of Lords review is time sensitive
Bill must pass swiftly or lapse this parliamentary session.
NHS and private providers face legal uncertainty
Assisted dying legislation prompts calls for clearer guidance.
Authors
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been backed today by MPs by 314 votes to 291. MPs were permitted to vote in accordance with their personal beliefs rather than along party lines, and the successful vote in favour of the Bill makes it even more likely that this will now become law.
What next?
The Bill will now proceed to the House of Lords where it will face further scrutiny.
As the Bill is a private members’ Bill, it needs to complete all stages in one session of parliamentary time, which includes now proceeding through the House of Lords (for reference it took seven months to complete its steps in the Commons). The current sessions began 11 months ago but it is up to the Government when the new session commences. It will need to move quite quickly through the House of Lords to ensure it does not run out of time.
If the Bill successfully passes through the House of Lords it is anticipated that it will take another 4 years to implement. It could be 2029 before a terminally ill person would be able to legally access an assisted death.
The hope is that the Bill will bring some much needed clarity for healthcare professional facing very difficult dilemmas as demand for assisted dying increases. Recently, we have seen an increasing demand for our advice in this area.
In the coming weeks Hill Dickinson will be sharing a series of articles and videos which explores this very topical subject from different legal angles, including the current issues clinicians are facing on the ground.
If you have any concerns and would like to discuss these, please contact our team here.