The Government has failed democracy by missing the opportunity to set out a path forward for assisted dying reform in the King’s Speech, despite consistent, overwhelming public support and repeated votes in favour of change in the House of Commons. My Death My Decision said the omission will prolong the suffering of terminally ill people and their families, by leaving Parliament without a clear route forward after the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was blocked in the House of Lords earlier this year.
Dr Graham Winyard CBE , Co-Chair at My Death, My Decision, said:
“Dying people and their loved ones will be bitterly disappointed that theGovernment has chosen not to act.
The House of Commons made its view clear. MPs backed change. The public back change. But instead of doing what was asked of them and enabling the Bill to pass, a small number of peers resorted to procedural tactics and endless amendments to run down the clock until the legislation fell.
That is not scrutiny. It is obstruction.
The Government now has a responsibility to ensure the democratic will of the elected House is respected and that terminally ill adults are not abandoned yet again.”
My Death, My Decision said today’s King’s Speech must not mark the end of assisted dying reform this Parliament, and called for urgent action to ensure legislation can return swiftly.
The campaign group is urging:
- MPs supportive of reform to publicly commit to bringing the Bill back at the earliest opportunity;
- The Government to provide sufficient parliamentary time for proper debate and scrutiny;
- If the House of Lords tries to delay the Bill again, the Parliament Act to be used to ensure the Bill, as supported by elected MPs, becomes law.
Graham Winyard added:
“The need for this legislation is not going away, and the public is only growing more vocal with their frustration and outrage at how this issue was treated in the House of Lords. Over recent months, we have heard heartbreaking testimony from dying people, grieving families, and campaigners who are frankly fed up with being spoken about as though they are victims who don’t know their own minds. This campaign is for those people who deserve better than delay and parliamentary gamesmanship.
The next step must now be clear: bring the Bill back, allow Parliament to do its job properly, and finally give terminally ill adults the choice and compassion they deserve.”
Attention will now turn to the next Private Members’ Bill ballot, currently expected on 21 May, with campaigners urging supportive MPs to back fresh efforts to reintroduce assisted dying legislation at the earliest possible opportunity.
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries, please contact Kerry.hogan@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or call 07922363248.
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.
Members of the team and people with personal stories are available for interview.
