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The assisted suicide bill has run into major hurdles in the House of Lords and opponents continue to hope that it will not enter into British law.
Back in June, MPs in the House of Commons voted narrowly in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, by a margin of 314 to 291. Last Friday the bill reached the Lords, which is under no constitutional obligation to pass the controversial legislation.
Traditionally the Lords makes no serious opposition to government bills that fulfil a manifesto pledge. However, the Terminally Adults Bill is a private member’s bill brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
Legalising assisted suicide was not part of Labour’s manifesto and the Labour government itself is divided on the issue. Prime Minister Keir Starmer voted in favour of the bill, while his Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, voted against.
During Friday’s debate in the Lord’s more than two thirds of peers who spoke did so against the bill, and only a third spoke in favour. Opposition to the bill came from across the party divide, with former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, Labour peer Baroness Keeley and crossbencher and Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson all speaking out against the proposals.
In her speech, May suggested to the chamber that language matters.
“It is not an assisted dying bill. It is an assisted suicide bill,” she said.
“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.”
Such was the opposition to the bill that both opponents and supporters believe it is increasingly likely it will not become law.
Lord Jackson of Peterborough, said, “This kind of opposition at Second Reading is a clear indication of the direction the Bill is heading. The strength of concern voiced today makes it increasingly unlikely that this Bill will pass at Third Reading, and momentum is clearly against it.”
A senior government figure told Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor at Sky that “the chances of it [the bill] passing are worse than 50/50”.
Responding to the debate, Caroline Ansell, policy director of Christian campaign group CARE, said it was “heartening to hear Peers from across the House of Lords being so strongly critical of the legislation”. “Not only is the bill wrong in principle, it is also poorly drafted and this was commented on by many. Lord Carlile gave it a ‘D minus’,” she said. “There are, for example, significant unanswered questions about how it will be implemented and the way it bypasses Parliament by giving too much power to civil servants and ministers. “As we look ahead to the second day of second reading in a week’s time, we urge peers to shut the door on this irredeemably flawed bill and instead challenge the government to properly fund truly compassionate, life-affirming forms of support.”
The debate continues on Friday.
Opponents of assisted suicide still hopeful it will be rejected by the House of Lords
