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

Rachel Hopkins Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 29th January 2025 Public Bill Committees

[The Chair]

I am afraid we will only have time for the last question from Rachel Hopkins. We have only three minutes left.

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

Q We have spoken a lot about the range of doctors and nurses who will be involved in a multidisciplinary team. Have you thought about the protections in the Bill for those who do not wish to participate? Is there the right balance for them not to participate but to still work with a patient who might want to take this choice? What are your views on that?

Professor Esmail: These safeguards already exist. For example, if someone says, “I want you to remove my ventilatory tube, because I want to die”, as a doctor you can say, “I’m not able to do that for you. I will ask my colleague.” When people come to us seeking termination, for example, doctors still have the right to say, “Look, I’m not going to do anything with this, but I will refer you to a colleague.” Those safeguards are there, and I think it is right that those who want to and those who do not want to are given that option—and, as I said, the safeguards already exist. What would be wrong, though, would be for someone to say, “Well, I am against it, and therefore I am not going to do anything about it.” That would not be right, so you would have to have an obligation; it just has to be a conversation where you say, “I will ask my colleague to see you.” You do not even to say, “I’m against it” or anything. That works very well with abortion law at the moment, and it should remain as an option.

[The Chair]

That brings us to the end of the time allotted for the Committee to ask questions. I thank our witnesses on behalf of the Committee for their evidence, and we will move on to the next session. Thank you very much.

Examination of Witnesses

Dr Lewis Graham, Lord Sumption, Baroness Falkner and Fazilet Hadi gave evidence.