A new law has been proposed to legalise assisted dying for some terminally ill adults in England and Wales. Mentally competent adults with a life expectancy of six months or less who have a settled wish to die that has been approved by two doctors and the High Court would be able to do so under the proposed legislation for England and Wales. Ahead of its publication on Tuesday , Labour MP Kim Leadbeater insisted her private member’s bill would offer the “safest choice” for mentally competent adults at the end of their lives.
She said the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would make it illegal for someone to persuade a person through dishonesty, coercion or pressure to declare they wanted to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer drugs to die. Anyone found guilty of doing so would face a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. Critics argue the controversial legislation, which is likely to run to more than 40 pages, is being “rushed with indecent haste” and that MPs will not have adequate time to scrutinise it before the 29 November debate.
Here, we take a look at the details of the bill as it is set to be published. This, and the language used, varies depending on who you ask. Pro-change campaigners Dignity in Dying say that assisted dying allows a person with a terminal condition the choice to control their death if they decide their suffering is unbearable.
They argue that, along with good care, dying people who are terminally ill and mentally .
