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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Assisted dying bill: What is in proposed law? | Assisted dying bill: What is in proposed law? |
| (17 days later) | |
| A proposed law to legalise assisted dying, external for terminally ill adults in England and Wales has been formally introduced in the House of Commons. | A proposed law to legalise assisted dying, external for terminally ill adults in England and Wales has been formally introduced in the House of Commons. |
| MPs are due to debate and vote on the bill on 29 November - further debates and votes would be needed before the bill becomes law. | MPs are due to debate and vote on the bill on 29 November - further debates and votes would be needed before the bill becomes law. |
| The bill - called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life. | The bill - called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life. |
| But there are requirements: | But there are requirements: |
| They must be resident of England and Wales and be registered with a GP for at least 12 months | They must be resident of England and Wales and be registered with a GP for at least 12 months |
| They must have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure | They must have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure |
| They must be expected to die within six months | They must be expected to die within six months |
| They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die | They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die |
| Two independent doctors must be satisfied the person is eligible - and there must be at least seven days between the doctors’ assessments | Two independent doctors must be satisfied the person is eligible - and there must be at least seven days between the doctors’ assessments |
| A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors and can also question the dying person, or anyone else they consider appropriate. There must be a further 14 days after the judge has made the ruling (although this can be shortened to 48 hours in some circumstances) | |
| LIVE UPDATES: MPs vote in favour of allowing assisted dying | |
| Under the bill, a doctor could prepare the "approved" substance (the bill does not detail what medication this is) but the person themselves must take it. | |
| No doctor or anyone else would be allowed to administer the medication to the terminally ill person. | |
| The doctor would stay with the person until they had self-administered the substance and died (or the doctor determines the procedure has failed). | |
| The person could decide not to take it, in which case the doctor would have to remove the substance immediately. | |
| Doctors would also not be under any obligation to take part in the assisted dying process. | |
| This is called physician-assisted suicide. Voluntary euthanasia is different and is where a health professional administers the drugs to the patient. | This is called physician-assisted suicide. Voluntary euthanasia is different and is where a health professional administers the drugs to the patient. |
| Deaths covered by the assisted suicide bill would not need to be investigated by a coroner. | |
| But the bill would make it illegal for someone to pressure, coerce or use dishonesty to get someone to make a declaration that they wish to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer an approved substance. | |
| If someone is found guilty of either of these actions, they could face a jail sentence of up to 14 years. | If someone is found guilty of either of these actions, they could face a jail sentence of up to 14 years. |
| What's not included in the bill is how much it the system would cost, who would pay and what the workload would be. | |
| And there is no detail about the judicial process - namely, how the evidence would be put before the High Court judge. | |
| Lord Thomas, former Lord Chief Justice, told the BBC's Today Programme that it cannot be a "rubber stamping process" and judges must be satisfied there is no coercion. | |
| The law would apply to England and Wales. A separate bill is already under discussion in Scotland. | The law would apply to England and Wales. A separate bill is already under discussion in Scotland. |
| Meanwhile, politicians in Jersey and the Isle of Man have already backed plans to introduce assisted dying and the process to bring in legislation is under way. | Meanwhile, politicians in Jersey and the Isle of Man have already backed plans to introduce assisted dying and the process to bring in legislation is under way. |