Contributions
781 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Just to clarify, my understanding is that it is between 600 and 700 people who take their own lives; it is suicide.25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. Does she agree that the reporting and data around assisted dying are fundamental? That is why it is important that, if the law is to…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)In terms of the removal of references to the Equality Act, I was not aware when the Bill was initially drafted that cancer is actually classed as a disability. Given the fact that…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)The concepts of a mental disorder and a disability are well understood, and those terms are well used. In the eyes of the law, we would not need to provide a definition of those…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)My hon. Friend talked about the stories that we heard on Second Reading. Does she acknowledge, as Dr Sarah Cox from the Association for Palliative Medicine said, that there are…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)I do worry about the lack of faith in our professionals. We have medical practitioners on the Committee and we have heard stories of the very good practice that happens, so it…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I will address the amendments in two different ways. I will start by looking at the technical issues around amendment…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)But it does not say that at all. It actually says that they have to refer, and that they have to consult with other people. That is part of the process. That is exactly what…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)That brings me on very nicely to my next point, so I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. At the moment, the Bill accommodates a two-year implementation period, which is…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. It feeds into comments that have already been made about how difficult we are making the process. I agree that this should be a…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)I am going to finish, if I may. We need to be really careful that we take a person-centred approach, as happens now. Doctors, medical practitioners and healthcare professionals…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)On the point made by the hon. Member for East Wiltshire, the Bill does not replace what already happens, and what Dr Cox was saying was that those conversations are already…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)The reality is that this Bill is both. Of course it is about personal autonomy, choice and dignity for people who are coming towards the end of their life, but it has to be…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)I would be interested to know whether that data shows a link or a direct causation effect.25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)I am interested to know where the hon. Member has got the idea that someone is going to scrap the six-month prognosis from.25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)Would the hon. Member agree that the purpose of the Committee is to look at the Bill before us? That is why we are here. I understand his concerns, his reservations and his…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)I agree with the hon. Member to some degree in terms of the legal drafting. I have been advised that the expression “for the avoidance of doubt” is not generally used in a Bill if…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Twelfth sitting)This is a really important discussion and I am so glad that we are having it—some brilliant points have been made. As someone who has worked with people with anorexia, I am very…25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Actually, I have not said that.25 Feb 2025HANSARDTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Thirteenth sitting)My hon. Friend makes an interesting point, but the purpose of the Bill is that a person with a terminal cancer diagnosis and six months left to live would have the choice of…25 Feb 2025