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‘Not democratic’: opponents and backers of assisted dying bill remain divided
TL;DR
An attempt to introduce assisted dying laws for terminally ill patients has failed, causing division among supporters and opponents. Supporters blame unelected peers for sabotage, while opponents cite poor drafting and practical concerns.
Key points
- Assisted dying bill for terminally ill patients failed to pass
- Supporters blame unelected peers for sabotaging the bill
- Opponents argue the bill was poorly drafted
- Terminally ill individuals express frustration over the outcome
Amid the failure of an attempt to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, campaigners on both sides of the debate vented their anger and frustration with the opposing side.
Its supporters, including terminally ill people, blamed the failure of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which passed in the House of Commons, on sabotage by a handful of unelected peers.
But opponents, who include MPs, peers and disability activists, argued the proposed legislation failed because it was poorly drafted and did not address practical concerns about how assisted dying would work in practice.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said a handful of peers, whom she described as “implacable opponents of assisted dying”, had dominated debates in the Lords and rained down amendments in order to talk out the bill. “It’s absolutely shameless what a tiny group, less than 1% of the unelected, the upper house, has done,” she added. “Their role is to scrutinise, not to block.”
Hannah Slater, 38, who has terminal breast cancer, described the bill’s failure as “not democratic”. “It’s devastating for people who want to be able to choose how to die when we’ve got a terminal illness. It’s just very, very frustrating that this choice is being taken away at the last moment. It feels really cruel and unfair.”
But one of the seven peers most criticised by the bill’s supporters said she and other opponents had been unfairly lambasted. Tanni Grey-Thompson, a cross-bench peer and former Paralympian, who raised concerns including the efficacy of life-ending drugs and their administration during pregnancy, said: “The bill fell because it’s badly written. It needs to be much, much tighter than what we’ve got.”
Grey-Thompson said criticism of the 1,200 amendments added to the bill failed to acknowledge the complexity of the process. One objection would require laying multiple amendments to all relevant sections of the proposed legislation. For example, her amendment for the bill to use the accepted legal term “disabled people”, rather than people with disabilities required 12 separate amendments.
“Our role is to kind of look at the geeky technical stuff. I think it’s been difficult because of the pressure to nod stuff through has been quite intense. It’s not just a handful of people that are opposed to it.”
Q&A
What was the outcome of the assisted dying bill for terminally ill people?
The assisted dying bill failed to pass, leading to significant frustration among its supporters.
Who opposed the assisted dying legislation and why?
Opponents included MPs, peers, and disability activists, who argued the bill was poorly drafted and did not address practical concerns.
What did supporters of the assisted dying bill claim about its failure?
Supporters claimed that the failure was due to sabotage by a small group of unelected peers who dominated the debates.
How did terminally ill individuals react to the bill's failure?
Terminally ill individuals expressed feelings of devastation and frustration, stating that the failure denied them the choice of how to die.
