Six-month life expectancy and self-administration of drugs among assisted dying proposals
A six-month expected lifespan and the ability to take the fatal drugs will be requirements for someone to end their own life under proposed assisted dying legislation.
Someone with disability or mental health issues will not be eligible for assisted dying under the plans, published in the End of Life Bill.
MPs will have their first vote on the proposals on 29 November.
If the bill passes, then amendments and changes will be considered before further votes in the Commons and Lords take place – with many months before it would be expected to come into effect.
Politics latest: Follow as assisted dying bill published
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
MPs and the public can now scrutinize Ms Leadbeater’s bill, which would apply to England and Wales.
After promising “robust safeguards”, it will be decided by a “free vote” – MPs will be able to vote however they like and won’t be forced to follow party lines.
The potential requirements for ending one’s life would include:
• Being aged 18 and over, and having been registered with a GP for at least 12 months;
• Have the “mental capacity” to make the decision to die;
• Being terminally ill, and expected to die within six months;
• Have a “clear, settled and informed” wish to die “at every stage of the process” – which is “free from coercion or pressure”;
• Make two declarations of their desire to end their own life, both witnessed and signed;
• Two “independent” doctors must confirm eligibility for assisted dying, with the ability to consult a specialist if needs be;
• A High Court judge will then consider the application, with the power to question the doctors, patient and anyone else they feel the need to;
• A seven-day wait time between getting clinical sign-off, and a 14-day wait from judicial approval – unless the person’s life is expected to end sooner.
These proposals have come about following recommendations and debate in parliament in recent years.
14 years for law breakers
Supporters of the bill say it goes further in outlining the role doctors will play, as well as providing oversight from judges, than previous attempts to legalise assisted dying.
The guidance for doctors includes them being satisfied the person is eligible to end their own life, and has made the decision without being “coerced or pressured”.
It will also state that clinicians should ensure the patient is making an “informed choice” – including being made aware of other options for treatment like palliative and hospice care.
Doctors will not be forced to take part in the process, according to the bill.
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The medicine that will end the patient’s life will need to be self-administered, with doctors not allowed to do so.
The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law.
This would include coercing someone into ending their own life or pressuring them to take life-ending medicine.
The health secretary and chief medical officer will oversee assisted dying and report on it to parliament.
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Ms Leadbeater told Sky News: “Well, this will be the most robust piece of legislation in terms of assisted dying in the world.
“There are layers and layers of safeguards – we’ve got two doctors, we’ve got a high court judge who will be involved in the process and would speak to the doctor.
“So there’ll be consultation – very, very strict criteria in the first instance of who would be eligible for the bill.”
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater
Ms Leadbeater denied that she had been forced to bring forward publication of the bill following concerns from MPs they would not have enough time to go over the details.
She said the schedule had been brought forward: “I haven’t brought the schedule forward, and I’m not concerned about that [the times scale] at all, no.
“There was a procedure to go through and I’ve gone through a really robust piece of research consultation, speaking to lots of different organizations and groups and individuals with a wide variety of views.”
The Labour MP was also asked if it was a problem that health secretary Wes Streeting had spoken of his opposition to the bill.
She pointed out that the prime minister says “he’s in favour of changing the law” – and that she believes now is the right time for a change.