The Senedd has voted in favour of the Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ,28 votes in favour, 23 against, 2 abstentions. My Death, My Decision has welcomed today’s vote in the Senedd, and hopes that the Westminster Parliament sees it as a vote of confidence in the Assisted Dying Bill
The vote does not change the criminal law on assisted dying, but confirms that the Welsh Government should be able to design and oversee its own implementation of the law, rooted in Welsh values, language, and healthcare structures.
However, due to a concerted filibustering effort in the House of Lords, with a record number of amendments to the Bill, it looks almost certain that the Bill will not pass this Parliamentary session. This means the Bill will need to be brought back in a future session.
Gemma Williams, from Carmarthenshire, has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years. She supports the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and backs terminally ill people having a choice. She said:
‘I’m so proud of the Welsh Parliament today. I watched family members die an awful death, and as someone who has lived with MS for over twenty years, I know the importance of feeling safe, respected, and in control of my own care. Giving Wales the power to tailor how the law works will protect people like me and will hopefully ensure no one has to go through what my family did.’
Graham Winyard, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said:
‘This decision puts fairness and dignity first. Assisted dying will still be accompanied by some of the strongest safeguards anywhere in the world, but thanks to this vote, Wales can now make sure those safeguards work properly for Welsh patients, families, and clinicians.
All eyes now return to Westminster, where a small cohort of the House of Lords is currently using game-playing and procedural tactics to put the Assisted Dying Bill in jeopardy. They cannot be allowed to frustrate the will of the public, the Commons and the Senedd.’
What is the Legislative Consent Motion (LCM)?
The LCM concerns a small number of clauses inserted into the Bill to ensure Wales can shape its own implementation of assisted dying. These include:
- Making sure people can give information, have assessments, and get reports in Welsh,
- Letting Welsh Ministers give guidance that fits the needs of Welsh communities,
- Allowing the Welsh healthcare system (including NHS Wales) to provide assisted deaths,
- Making sure Wales is involved in checking the system and reporting on how it works.
Notes
74% of Welsh people support a change in the law. Support is broad-based across all major political parties.
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.
