Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Eleventh sitting)

Rachel Hopkins Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 12th February 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Naz Shah]

The hon. Member makes an important point. That is precisely why we need to have a conversation to ascertain that autonomy, which is what this comes back to—the whole purpose of this Bill is to give people autonomy. It is important that when benefit is being derived, it is not because they are a burden. We need to ascertain that that has been explored and was not about that, but that it is an informed choice and an autonomous decision. That comes back to the conversation around coercion, manipulation or whatever word we want to use; we voted down provisions on the term “undue influence”, but those are the words that apply.

In my understanding, this amendment is about having a conversation to probe what measures will be in place to ascertain what that person is actually saying. I would not wish that experience on the hon. Member, but he could be in that situation, and make that informed choice and be able to demonstrate that—again, we discussed the amendment from my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe on the word “demonstrably”. I am very keen to have those conversations, and that is the purpose of this amendment.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

The point about conversations is really important. I wonder how many conversations my hon. Friend has had with terminally ill people, their family members and children, because I have had quite a few, like the example given by the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley, over a number of years now. It is so important to recognise that it is about the individual’s autonomy, but we cannot take away the fact that their loved ones may also derive a benefit in a way that the hon. Gentleman elucidated. Can my hon. Friend see how so many of us here want clarity, but do not want to put at risk an individual’s autonomy with a very subjective decision?

[Naz Shah]

I am sure my hon. Friend did not mean to suggest it in that way, but I feel slightly taken aback by the questioning of whether I understand the importance of this. I remind hon. Members that nobody in this room has had a forced marriage apart from me. That does not mean to say that they do not have empathy when I share my experience. To suggest—

[Rachel Hopkins]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Naz Shah]

Let me finish. Perhaps my hon. Friend did not mean to question whether I understand and appreciate it, but it suggests to me, does anybody? Yes, we heard witnesses. We heard evidence. I have heard about it in my own friendship circles. I had a young intern with me not so long ago who had cancer. We talked about this, when I decided to come on to this Bill Committee. A dear friend of mine lost her husband and asked me to support this Bill because of his experiences. I speak to doctors regularly. I have had one parent who died of cancer; the other survived cancer. I have had recent deaths; my own father was in a hospice, and others were in a hospice. To be really clear, I do not think the importance of autonomy is lost on any Member on this Committee or in the House. It is because of that importance that I agreed to take part in this Committee.

[Rachel Hopkins]

I hope that my hon. Friend will accept that I was not questioning her ability to understand the importance of the matter. I wanted only to place on record the importance of having those conversations and to ask whether she recognised that. I am really pleased that she has had so many conversations. That is why so many of us are here and want to see the change in the law, but we do not want to tie it so tightly that it would reduce the autonomy of an individual.

[Naz Shah]

I am grateful that we have been able to have this conversation as we have done. I share my hon. Friend’s concern. Equally, I am also concerned that we may now not have a judge’s oversight on this. There is potentially an amendment seeking to replace that with a panel of experts, which we will not get to debate until we have seen it.

Returning to amendment 94, tabled by the right hon. Member for Braintree, I have already talked about Professor Allan House’s contribution. The importance of the issue is not lost on the House. This includes people who do not want to take up their children’s time. As the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley suggested, there is that conversation to be had with families, no doubt. We speak from the privileged position of being able to have those conversations. In an ideal world, we would all be equal, but we are not.