Up to 30 MPs who supported the assisted dying bill could withdraw their support at the next vote
Up to 30 MPs who supported assisted dying could withdraw their support at the next parliamentary vote, MPs said, as several MPs prepare to propose amendments on coercion and the role of medics.
The committee that will examine the next stage of Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill will begin hearings in the new year, with MPs uniting around several demands for changes to the legislation.
At the top of MPs’ demands for change is that the bill should not allow medical professionals to suggest assisted dying to terminally ill patients. MPs including former minister David Davis and Labor MPs Chris Webb and Mike Tapp – who voted in favor of the bill – have asked the committee to consider the change.
But that request is likely to put MPs on a collision course with the British Medical Association, which has said it is inappropriate to hide treatment options from patients. The BMA previously told the BBC that doctors should be confident in using their professional judgment in the circumstances.
A number of MPs told the Guardian that they saw this change as crucial for the bill’s progress. “I was happy to see progress on this, but there are also concerns I have that will be addressed before it actually becomes law,” one person said. “I think the 55 majority will start (taking away). I think it will probably be between 10 and 20 majority. And that starts to potentially make things more difficult in the Lords.’
Webb, the Labor MP for Blackpool South, said change could be a potential dealbreaker. “About 60% of the 400 voters who took the survey strongly support the end-of-life bill, and many of them generously shared their personal stories of how they feel the bill could have helped their loved ones,” he said.
“I voted for them with compassion and because I believe that everyone has the right to a dignified death. I believe it deserved to move on to the next stage, but I believe further in-depth research and debate is needed. I will consider my position in subsequent phases while continuing to listen to all perspectives.
“I feel uncomfortable that doctors can suggest to patients that they can commit suicide and think it should be taken off the bill.”
Roz Savage, a Lib Dem MP who voted in favor of the bill, said this was also a major concern. “I voted for the bill because I believe people should have choice, but for it to be a real choice, hospice care must be a viable, affordable and accessible option – and for too many people that is not the case.
“And I’m very much in favor of the ‘slippery slope’ argument, as seems to have happened in other countries. I am particularly concerned that healthcare professionals should not proactively propose assisted death as an option; it should be left to the individual to make that suggestion,” she said.
Tapp told the BBC after the vote that he had similar concerns. “It should only be discussed if it is brought up by the patient,” he told BBC News. “This helps reduce the risk of unintentional coercion, or the perception of a cue, at a time of tremendous emotional distress and vulnerability.”
Davis said in the audience that this was a condition for his further support. “I say to both sponsors of the bill that there are a number of areas that they know they need to correct – about a dozen, actually,” he said. “After the ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ scandal during the Covid crisis, I don’t want that at any cost – I don’t want the state to initiate this process. That is crucial for me.”
A Labor MP, Josh Fenton-Glynn, abstained from voting on the bill during the second reading due to concerns about its safeguards. He said he intended to propose an amendment to the committee around coercion and protection, due to his experience working in and around social care.
“I have seen how family coercion works around healthcare budgets,” he said. “I’ve seen terrible things. Any adult social worker will tell you that they have seen terrible coercion from people who probably love the person involved, but they end up using coercion because it made their lives easier at the time.”
Fenton-Glynn said there are “more safeguards if you want to give a kidney than there are if you want to access assisted dying”. He said he hoped the committee would adopt an amendment that would ensure a social work assessment of the family situation would have to be considered by the judge as part of the process.
“Our job is to scrutinize the legislation, not just say we think it’s a good idea in principle,” he said. “I want the right to die for me, but I’m a middle-class white man who runs marathons, has a college degree and understands the health care system. I think we need to listen to people with disabilities who are afraid and to people who are concerned about coercion.”
The committee phase of the bill is expected to be completed by the end of April. If too many amendments are proposed, there is a risk that the bill will not be passed, as Parliament may run out of time to debate them all – a particular risk with a private member’s bill.