Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Debate between Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie and Lord Bishop of Southwark

Committee stage
Friday 20th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie (Con)]

I thank the noble Lord. By probing the words “seek assistance”, I am trying to explore what assistance is provided. The noble Lord is quite right in the example of his friend. There are people who cognitively can absolutely understand what is going on. Therefore, in the context of this Bill, they would understand the assisted dying process. But they would need help with the tools by which to communicate their will, and the time and space and sometimes the vocabulary to do that. I note that, in the noble Lord’s example, his friend has only recently come to it. An issue is understanding what the right thing is for some of these people. He also said he can, at the moment, communicate only through his mother. That is my other fear. Far too often with this population, people speak for them because they know them best. I hope that clarifies my intentions.

[The Lord Bishop of Southwark]

My Lords, I support the amendments in this group, particularly Amendment 171 in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Nicholson of Winterbourne and Lady O’Loan.

Clause 5, as we have heard, introduces a key element in the infrastructure of assisted dying in this Bill by providing what is intended to be a safe, but not mandatory, introduction to the subject of death with the assistance of another human being. For proponents of the Bill, the advantages of such an introduction are obvious. In their minds, it will remove a good deal of unnecessary distress on the part of those who wish to proceed with such an option and on the part of those who do not. However, as we have heard from those of us who have long experience of pastoral encounters, the experience is likely to be rife with pitfalls.

This amendment and the one that follows it, about which I shall say a little and leave it to others to say more, is designed to correct some very obvious impediments to mutual understanding. A good deal of communication is picked up visually. Visual impairment requires an extra dimension when communicating. My twin brother was born with a severe hearing impairment, so I speak with lifelong experience of what it is to communicate thoughts, directions, information and feelings appropriately to someone who has a hearing impairment.

Finally and briefly, for I understand that the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Newcastle wishes to say more, I also commend Amendment 171A. My experience of more than 40 years of ordained ministry is that there are those who purport to represent a religious or cultural identity and do so for less than an individual’s best interests. That may cut both ways in this debate.

I hope that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, will look favourably on these amendments, which are designed to provide assistance to women who may face coercion. Should the Bill become law, it will make the vulnerable more vulnerable as it currently stands. That is why so very many amendments, including this one, are so vital, although I continue to fear that assisted dying itself would make the vulnerable more vulnerable.