I want to thank the many people that have been in touch and shared their thoughts on the upcoming private members bill put forward by Kim Leadbeater MP. As you will be aware, this will be a free vote – which means that Members of Parliament are not guided by their party over which way to vote. The correspondence I have received so far covers a broad range of views and experiences; I have been incredibly moved to read so many of them.

I wanted to write and let you know about the most recent updates on this private members’ bill now that the detail of it has been released.

You can read the latest updates by going to https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3774/publications but I am also including more details below:

The bill will be voted on after what is known as a ‘second reading’ debate in the House of Commons on November 29th. If MPs vote in favour, it will then be subject to a lengthy process of scrutiny, first by a Commons committee and then by both Houses of Parliament, during which time it can be amended. It will become law only if both chambers support it in further separate votes next year.

The bill proposes to allow eligible adults to shorten their own deaths under a process which Kim Leadbeater says contains “the strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world.”

Under the proposed legislation:

• To be eligible, a person must be over 18, resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months and have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life.
• The person must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months.
• They must, at every stage of the process, express a ‘clear, settled and informed’ wish, free from coercion or pressure.
• They must make two separate declarations of their wishes, which must be witnessed and signed, and can change their mind at any time.
• Two independent doctors must be satisfied that the person is eligible and must, if necessary, consult a specialist in their condition and receive an assessment from an expert in mental capacity.
• The application then goes before a High Court judge who must hear from at least one of the doctors and may hear from and question the person making the application and anybody else they consider appropriate.
• At least seven days must elapse between the two doctors making their assessments and a further 14 days after the judge has made a ruling unless the person’s death is expected imminently.

Both doctors must:

• Satisfy themselves that the person is eligible and has made their decision voluntarily and has not been coerced or pressured by any other person into making it.
• Ensure the person is making an informed choice, including being made aware of their other treatment options, including palliative and hospice care.

Really importantly, no doctor will be under any obligation to participate in any part of the process. In fact the Bill proposes that it will remain illegal for a doctor or anybody else to end a person’s life.

If all the above safeguards are met and the person still wishes to proceed, the medication must be self-administered. Crucially, neither a doctor nor anyone else can administer the medication to the terminally ill person. If they choose not to self-administer, the medication is immediately removed from their possession.

If the bill becomes law, it will be illegal, punishable by a sentence of up to 14 years in jail, to:

• by dishonesty, coercion, or pressure, induce another person to make a declaration, or not to cancel such a declaration.
• by dishonesty, coercion, or pressure, induce another person to self-administer an approved substance.

The Chief Medical Officers in England and Wales and the Secretary of State will be required to monitor and report on the operation of the law. The Secretary of State must also report on:

• the availability, quality, and distribution of appropriate health services to people with palliative care needs, including pain and symptom management, psychological support for those people and their families, and information about palliative care and how to access it.

I hope that this helps folk to understand the full scope of this proposed legislation, as ever I would welcome views.