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

Debate between Sarah Olney and Simon Opher

Committee stage
Thursday 30th January 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Sarah Olney]

Thank you for answering that.

[Dr Opher]

Q I have been fascinated by this discussion, so thank you all. It strikes me that we have spent a number of days looking at the other end of this, if you like—coercion and capacity and that sort of thing—but I am concerned that we had a judge with Parkinson’s who would not be allowed through this, like your sister with MND. I just think we should consider as a Committee whether we need to make any amendments on these things, and also on self-administration. I wondered whether you thought we should widen the Act. I presume you have read some of it, at least.

Pat Malone: As I mentioned to Mr Kruger, I am loath to meddle in any way with the Bill. I think that as it is the Bill is the best we can do at this time.

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

Debate between Sarah Olney and Simon Opher

Committee stage
Tuesday 28th January 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Dr Opher]

Q In some legal medical situations, you need to be five years post training before you can have a view. Is that something you would have in both of these practitioners, or is that not necessary?

Dr Green: We did not take a view on that. We thought that training and experience was more important.

[Sarah Olney]

Q Leading on from Dr Opher’s question about the “must refer” clause, you and Professor Whitty both stress the importance of the relationship between the doctor and the patient, yet there may be doctors who feel very strongly against mentioning assisted dying. Given the existence of clause 4(5) and the “must refer”, do you think there is a danger that there might be doctors who would be reluctant to provide a prognosis of six months or less if they thought that that would make the patient eligible for assisted dying, and that simply was not something they could support?

Dr Green: That is why it is important that doctors should be able to opt out at any stage of this. There are doctors who would find it difficult to do that, and it is important that their position is respected.

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

Debate between Sarah Olney and Simon Opher

Committee stage
Tuesday 28th January 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Sarah Olney]

indicated dissent.

[Dr Opher]

Q Sir Nicholas, I have great sympathy with your position, but how would you frame this law so that it would cover yourself?

Sir Nicholas Mostyn: I would frame the law to define terminal illness in the way that it is defined here in clause 2(1)(a), but where the “person’s death in consequence” is referred to, I would delete clause 2(1)(b) and substitute “suffering intolerably”.

[The Chair]

Thank you. 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; thank you for your forbearance.