Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twenty-fourth sitting)

Liz Saville Roberts Excerpts

Committee stage
Tuesday 18th March 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Dr Shastri-Hurst]

It is very clear from subsection (7) that this must be an active step taken by the individual. There is a risk that we go down a rabbit hole in terms of—[Interruption.] I am sure my hon. Friend would like me to finish my point. We risk going down a rabbit hole in drawing examples. I raised the example of a cup, but of course there are much wider assistive technologies that can be used and are used in different jurisdictions. I gave the example to illustrate the point that this is an active act, not a passive act.

[Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)]

The hon. Gentleman mentions subsection (7). Subsection (8) states quite clearly that it

“does not authorise the coordinating doctor to administer an approved substance to another person with the intention of causing that person’s death.”

I think the passive and active roles are quite clear between the two subsections.

[Dr Shastri-Hurst]

I agree entirely with the right hon. Member’s interpretation of the Bill.

There is a further unintended consequence of the amendment tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for East Wiltshire, which I am sure is not his intention but would sadly be the effect: were an individual to qualify under the Bill, should it pass and were the amendment to be adopted, they would inevitably be forced to take the final decision at an earlier stage. If there is a restriction that they can have no assistance whatsoever in performing the act, they will end up making the decision when they know that they have the entire physical strength available for them to do it, and that actually brings forward the point at which they choose to die to an earlier stage.