ReutersTerminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months would be able to request assistance to end their own life under proposed legislation for England and Wales.Under a bill published on Monday, two independent doctors would have to be satisfied someone is eligible and has made their decision voluntarily. Requests would also have to be approved by a High Court judge.Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has put forward the bill, said it includes “the strictest safeguards anywhere in the world”.However, opponents of assisted dying have raised concerns that people could feel pressured into ending their lives.Current laws in the UK prevent people from asking for medical help to die.The bill would require those who apply for assisted dying to:Be over the age of 18, a resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 monthsHave the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their lifeExpress a “clear, settled and informed” wish, free from coercion or pressure, at every stage of the processThere must be a seven-day gap between two doctors’ evaluations and a further 14 days after a judge’s ruling before a person could be assisted to die, except when the person’s death is expected imminently. The individual would be allowed to change their mind at any time and no doctors would be obliged to take part in the process.The law would still forbid doctors or others from ending a person’s life. If all the criteria and safeguards are met, the substance to end someone’s life must be self-administered.Under the bill a doctor may only prepare the substance or assist the individual to ingest.The proposed legislation would also make it illegal to pressure or coerce someone into declaring they want to end their life, carrying a possible 14-year prison sentence.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “not going to be putting any pressure whatsoever on Labour MPs”. “They will make their own mind up, as I will be,” he said.”Obviously a lot will depend on the detail and we need to get the balance right, but I’ve always argued there will need to be proper safeguards in place.”MPs will take part in an initial debate and vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It will be the first time since 2015 that the House of Commons has voted on the issue of assisted dying. Back then, MPs rejected proposals to allow some terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical supervision.If the bill passes the first vote, it will receive further scrutiny from MPs and peers, who could choose to amend it.A final version would require approval by both the House of Commons and Lords to become law.The government has taken a neutral stance, al …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnReutersTerminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months would be able to request assistance to end their own life under proposed legislation for England and Wales.Under a bill published on Monday, two independent doctors would have to be satisfied someone is eligible and has made their decision voluntarily. Requests would also have to be approved by a High Court judge.Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has put forward the bill, said it includes “the strictest safeguards anywhere in the world”.However, opponents of assisted dying have raised concerns that people could feel pressured into ending their lives.Current laws in the UK prevent people from asking for medical help to die.The bill would require those who apply for assisted dying to:Be over the age of 18, a resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 monthsHave the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their lifeExpress a “clear, settled and informed” wish, free from coercion or pressure, at every stage of the processThere must be a seven-day gap between two doctors’ evaluations and a further 14 days after a judge’s ruling before a person could be assisted to die, except when the person’s death is expected imminently. The individual would be allowed to change their mind at any time and no doctors would be obliged to take part in the process.The law would still forbid doctors or others from ending a person’s life. If all the criteria and safeguards are met, the substance to end someone’s life must be self-administered.Under the bill a doctor may only prepare the substance or assist the individual to ingest.The proposed legislation would also make it illegal to pressure or coerce someone into declaring they want to end their life, carrying a possible 14-year prison sentence.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “not going to be putting any pressure whatsoever on Labour MPs”. “They will make their own mind up, as I will be,” he said.”Obviously a lot will depend on the detail and we need to get the balance right, but I’ve always argued there will need to be proper safeguards in place.”MPs will take part in an initial debate and vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It will be the first time since 2015 that the House of Commons has voted on the issue of assisted dying. Back then, MPs rejected proposals to allow some terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical supervision.If the bill passes the first vote, it will receive further scrutiny from MPs and peers, who could choose to amend it.A final version would require approval by both the House of Commons and Lords to become law.The government has taken a neutral stance, al …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
