A new bill that would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to seek help ending their own lives has propose removing the need for the High Court to sign off on assisted dying cases. Currently, a High Court judge must check if every person is eligible and has not been coerced into making their decision to die. Instead, Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the proposed law, would like to replace this with a panel of experts to monitor every application. The committee would be chaired by a senior legal figure and would include experts, such as psychiatrists and social workers. Their decision could be reviewed by the High Court, if necessary.
Leadbeater says that the changes “will make the system even more robust”. Some opponents of the bill believe this move waters down its safeguards. Ministers and officials have been closely consulted about the modification, but the UK government technically remains neutral. Civil servants are currently drafting the amendment, which is anticipated to be published later this week.
The proposed amendment has not been made to remove judicial analysis, but instead to change it to a “judge plus” model. Despite proposing the changes, Leadbeater previously emphasized the role of the High Court as part of “three layers of scrutiny” that made her bill “the strongest, most robust piece of legislation on this issue in the world”. The suggested law includes the strongest safeguards anywhere in the world, according to a committee of MPs scrutinising the bill. They began the line-by-line evaluation process on Tuesday.
More than 300 amendments have been tabled, with more expected in upcoming weeks. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon proposed an amendment that allows individuals with neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Parkinson’s, to access assisted death with 12 months to live instead of restricting it to only those with terminal illnesses with six months or less to live came up for debate as well. However, it is understood that Leadbeater does not support expanding the bill’s scope to include those with longer life expectancies.
The final version of the bill requires the consent of both the House of Commons and Lords before it becomes law, and it will be further debated by both in the future. Despite having widespread support, several people and groups continue to raise concerns about the proposed legislation and warn of the potential negative effects of assisted dying
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
