British public say assisted suicide is not a priority as House of Lords on course to reject the bill

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A recent poll has revealed that the British public have said that legalising assisted suicide is not a priority and would rather the government instead focus on reducing the NHS waiting lists, whilst the House of Lords have seen strong opposition to the proposed assisted suicide bill, where the bill now seems to be on course to be rejected.

According to the Daily Mail, a poll by Whitestone Insight found that in a survey of 2,090 Britons, only 1 in 8 people said that they believe assisted suicide should be prioritised by the government, whereas, 70% said that a reduction in NHS waiting times should be the priority.

Additionally, 63% agreed with comments made by West Streeting, the Health Secretary, that money could be spent on better things as opposed to assisted suicide, saying that they would prefer improved cancer care, funding for mental health services, assistance for disabled people and children with special education needs and improved palliative care. Out of the 11 options where people were asked to say which was their priority, assisted suicide was found to be the least popular option, with only 13% saying it was their top priority. 

Chief executive of Care Not Killing, Dr Gordon Macdonald said that the poll showed that “patients neither want nor need assisted dying, instead they want the government to fix our broken NHS.”

“As this dangerous Bill reaches the House of Lords, it is vital peers are given the time they need to scrutinise this legislation…” he continued. 

“In short, they need to significantly toughen up the weak safeguards that fail to protect the vulnerable and elderly, fail to protect disabled people, especially those with hidden disabilities like autism, and, before any change commences, ensure that there is universal access to the best quality palliative care.”

“If these problems can’t be corrected, then peers must ignore pressure from campaigners driven by an extreme ideology and vote down the draft legislation.”

Days after the results of the poll were released, the assisted suicide bill, proposed by Kim Leadbeater seeking to allow for assisted suicide for those who are terminally ill, was brought to the House of Lords before Peers for a debate that commenced on 12th September. According to Right to Life UK, the bill saw a strong opposition leading to Peers declaring that the bill is on course to be rejected after just its first day of the Second Reading.

In an analysis by the Right to Life’s Policy Team, of the 86 peers who spoke of their position on the bill last Friday, 58 (67%) were in opposition, whereas 28 (33%) were in favour – less than half. Three other Peers did not express a position.

This is suggestive that there is strong opposition to the bill in the House of Lord, where if they reject it, could prevent the bill from becoming law. As the bill is a Private Members Bill, rather than a Government Bill and was not part of a manifesto, the House of Lords have no duty to pass a bill and are entitled to block or amend it.

“This kind of opposition at Second Reading is a clear indication of the direction the Bill is heading. The strength of concern voiced today makes it increasingly unlikely that this Bill will pass at Third Reading, and momentum is clearly against it,” said Lord Jackson of Peterborough after the debate.” 

“The Lords have a responsibility to protect the most disadvantaged in society, and the strength of opposition today indicates we are not prepared to pass legislation that would put those people at risk,” he added.

“Today, many more Peers spoke against the Bill than in favour, with dozens voicing concerns about the risks it poses to the most disadvantaged in our communities and the lack of proper safeguards. This Bill is not a Government Bill and was not part of a manifesto promise, so the Lords are constitutionally entitled to reject this Bill,” said Baroness Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian and who has been outspoken about her opposition to the assisted suicide bill.

“The debate was conducted with a significant degree of calm and dignity. The message from today was unequivocal: we must protect the most disadvantaged in society”, she added.

During the debate, Baroness Grey-Thompson had warned about the assisted suicide law in Oregon, that has seen its assisted suicide law expanding, where the definition of “terminal” was widened and the 15-day wait was removed.

Former Prime Minister, Baroness May also gave a strong speech during the debate saying “Suicide is wrong, but this Bill effectively says suicide is ok… It should not pass”.

Lord Polak, who also opposed the bill, challenged the bills current safeguard of making those with a six-month prognosis being eligible for assisted suicide: “I speak as someone who was given six months to live 37 years ago,” he said.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath and former Health Minisiter, expressed concerns that the funds for assisted suicide would come from the budget for palliative care, “that’s how NHS bodies think about funding”, he said.

“It’s clear from today’s debate that a majority of peers are deeply troubled by this Bill, either in principle or as to detail. The sheer number of peers who have spoken out against it shows the deep unease in the House about the harm this Bill will cause to the most vulnerable in our society,” said Lord Moylan after the debate.

“It is clearly going to be very difficult for the promoters of this legislation to see it through all its stages before the end of the Parliamentary session”.

Catherine Robinson, the spokesperson for Right to Life UK, said “The large majority of Peers speaking in opposition to the Bill today at Second Reading suggests the House of Lords is currently significantly more opposed than supportive of the Bill. Given that the House of Lords can reject the Bill, the Bill is increasingly looking like it will never become law”.

“Vulnerable people in our society need our unwavering protection and the best quality care, not a pathway to assisted suicide. Evidence from abroad shows that, if this legislation becomes law, large numbers of vulnerable people nearing the end of life would be pressured or coerced into ending their lives”.

“With the NHS described by our Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, as ‘broken’, and every year, 100,000 people still dying without the palliative care they need, this assisted suicide legislation is a disaster waiting to happen”.

Concerns continue to arise in Canada where assisted suicide is being offered as a solution to providing healthcare or in providing basic supports at home. Well known cases of these are that of Roger Foley who is fighting against doctors for his life after being denied support to live at home, and that of Christine Gauthier who was offered assisted suicide after complaining about delays in getting a much needed chair lift in her home. More recent cases is that of an elderly woman who was offered assisted suicide moments before a life saving surgery for breast cancer, and that of a woman who was offered assisted suicide when she reached out to a suicide helpline to help her with her suicidal thoughts so she could live. 

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented, saying: “This is very positive news from the UK showing strong opposition to assisted suicide from both the public and the House of Lords, with people rightly pointing out that the health care system needs to be sorted in order to provide care for people.”

“It is clear that more and more people are seeing that assisted suicide is not the answer and should not be made the answer, especially when the UK government are failing to provide adequate health care for their people. It is a dangerous slope, as evident in Canada, to make assisted suicide legal and available when adequate health care is lacking.”

 “A good and just society would make it a top priority that all people are given the best healthcare possible when needed and are not given up on the moment a healthcare issue arises. Killing someone should never be considered as an option during a healthcare crisis.”