Welsh patients could be forced to pay privately for assisted dying unless the next Welsh Government ensures NHS provision, according to a report published by the Welsh Parliament today. The Welsh Parliament Health and Social Care Committee Report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill warned that a two-tier system is possible if a future Welsh parliament votes against provisions.
The report also outlines that the Welsh Government expect about 40 assisted deaths in Wales in the first year when assisted dying is accessible.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, currently being debated in the House of Lords, will give dying adults with six months left to live or fewer the option of an assisted death, subject to strict safeguards. If passed, the Bill amends the Suicide Act, allowing the process to be set up, but the Welsh parliament will have final say over whether it will be provided by the Welsh NHS.
This could lead to a system where people in England can access an assisted death for free, while terminally ill Welsh adults have to pay or travel to England.
My Death, My Decision submitted evidence to consultation, warning that unless the Welsh Government acts quickly to introduce clear regulations, assisted dying in Wales could risk being accessible only through private provision, deepening existing health inequalities.
In our response, we welcomed the Legislative Consent Memorandum, stressing the importance of strong safeguards, practical guidance, and ensuring fair access to assisted dying in Wales. We drew on international evidence showing that assisted dying laws operate safely, improve conversations about end of life, and complement palliative care.
Graham Winyard, Director of My Death, My Decision, said:
“The assisted dying Bill is a landmark opportunity to give dying people in Wales greater choice, dignity, and compassion at the end of life. But that promise will only be fulfilled if the Welsh Government acts quickly to put clear, fair regulations in place. Without that, we risk a two-tier system where only those who can afford private provision have real choice. That would be completely unacceptable.
All adults who are dying deserve choice. No one should be forced to suffer at the end of their life, and the current blanket ban on assisted dying does nothing but cause pain, misery and inequality.”
Notes:
Read the full report here: https://laiddocuments.senedd.wales/cr-ld17468-en.pdf
You can read our submission to the committee here in English: https://business.senedd.wales/documents/s164776/TIA10%20-%20My%20Death%20My%20Decision.pdf
And here in Welsh: https://busnes.senedd.cymru/documents/s164776/TIA10%20-%20Fy%20Marwolaeth%20Fy%20Mhenderfyniad.pdf
Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033. (media only)
Media can use the following press images and videos, as long as they are attributed to “My Death, My Decision”.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
