Members of the House of Lords have now made more than 1,000 amendments to the Assisted Dying Bill, and “frustrated” campaigners have accused the Lords of fearmongering
Members of the House of Lords have been accused of “fearmongering” as amendments now tops the 1,000 mark for the Assisted Dying Bill.
Campaigners say at the current rate of progress it “could take over two decades” at this rate for the Bill to be passed. Widow Louise Shackleton, who went to Dignitas with her terminally husband last December, has been watching the debate in the Lords in ‘frustration’.
She said the Lords are being ‘ridiculous’ after the number of amendments hit 1,071. Seven of the most vocal opponents to the Bill have put forward nearly 600 amendments between them. Opponents argue the bill is “unsafe and unworkable” and say it could be potentially harmful to vulnerable people.
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They say the focus should be on improving palliative care instead.
Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision, carried out analysis which showed how last Friday, the first of four Fridays where the Lords study the bill line-by-line during Committee Stage, was dominated by opponents, who spoke for three quarters of the first session, they claim.
Louise from North Yorkshire said: “I’m troubled to see opponents of assisted dying resorting to fearmongering. There are amendments about anorexia, live organ donation, and about the so-called slippery slope.”
She says there have even been ‘ludicrous’ claims people with anorexia would be encouraged to kill themselves because of the bill. The Bill, if given the Royal Assent, would permit terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with a prognosis of less than six months to live, to seek an assisted death.
This would be subject to approval from two medical practitioners and a panel comprising a social worker, a senior legal professional, and a psychiatrist.
Actress Sophie Turner issued a stark warning this week regarding the “serious risk” she and other campaigners believe Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill poses to individuals with eating disorders.
The Game of Thrones star is among the prominent figures who have co-signed a letter to the House of Lords.
But Louise countered: “It is disturbing to see that some unelected law makers cannot grasp what this Bill is about. There is a clue and it’s in the title!
“England and Wales’ Bill would not lead people with mental illnesses, anorexia included, and the disabled, to be allowed an assisted death unless they are terminally ill with only six months to live. I’ve seen online attempts to weaponise the very real anxieties of disabled people and those living with anorexia, preying on their fears and deliberately exacerbating them for political gain.
“We should never be exploiting vulnerable people with anorexia, nor should we be trying to divide and conquer by pitting disabled people against the terminally ill. Compassion and honesty must guide this debate, not manipulation or scare tactics.”
“The truth is that many disabled people support assisted dying, and the evidence from around the world shows that strong safeguards protect vulnerable people.
“International experience is clear, when assisted dying is legal and regulated, it is safe, compassionate, and accountable. I saw this firsthand when I travelled with my husband to Dignitas so he could have the peaceful, dignified death he wished for, something he was denied here at home.”
Dave Sowry, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said: “Looking at the ridiculous number of amendments, I can only conclude that this represents a concerted effort by a very small number of peers, who are all against the Bill as a matter of principle, to block its progress.”
Dave risked prosecution to stay by his wife’s side as she drew her last breaths at Dignitas in 2022. The 69-year-old flew over to Dignitas, an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland, with wife Christy Barry who had Multiple sclerosis (MS) – a chronic, incurable disease that affects a person’s central nervous system (CNS).
“They ignore the perspective of those the Bill is designed for, people at the end of their lives. Its aim is to improve the quality of those last weeks, and having accompanied my wife to Dignitas for an assisted death, I know how precious those weeks are.
“The process must be as simple as possible for the vast majority of straightforward cases, whilst being robust and safe for the remaining tiny minority of complex cases. This small group of Peers must not be allowed to undermine the will of Parliament and the hopes and wishes of the public.”
