Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Debate between Baroness Watkins of Tavistock and Baroness O'Loan
Baroness O'Loan (CB)
I am not sure of the logic of what the noble Lord is saying. I apologise to the House; I am struggling slightly. We are talking about assisted dying here and nothing else. I am saying that there has to be a conscience clause: that people of faith—I do not know how many faiths are involved—must have the right not to go against their conscience. That is one of the human rights that we absolutely must have.
Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (CB)
My Lords, I am broadly supportive of tightening the issue of ensuring that people’s conscience and beliefs are recognised and I support people who are prepared to work with patients who are, I remind the House, terminally ill adults wanting an end-of-life story that is different from full, extensive palliative care. I am completely supportive, as is the Royal College of Nursing, of full palliative care being what the majority of people will choose. However, there is a small proportion of people who would choose the principles of the Bill because of the nature of their particular illness, or personal choice.
I have talked before about all healthcare professionals’ responsibility to try to talk with patients about the choices that are available to them. The thing that has upset me most this morning is thinking about patients whom I have worked with and done everything, together with the multidisciplinary team, to keep alive who have taken their own lives because of severe enduring mental illness. I wish that we could stop referring to this as an assisted suicide Bill. It is terribly hard on people who have relatives and friends who have died through their own hand, usually in great distress. The whole purpose of the Bill we are talking about today is to reduce stress and distress for the small proportion of people who want this as an option.
Baroness O’Loan (CB)
I assume that the noble Baroness is aware that one of the reasons why we need to be absolutely specific about what we are doing is that 42% of people think assisted dying is palliative care. We need to make clear what we are talking about.
Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (CB)
I accept that. There was a helpful article in one of the newspapers this week talking about using the term “assisted death” rather than “assisted suicide”. I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to say it in the Chamber.