How strong are the safeguards in the assisted dying bill?

After a long wait, Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying legislation – the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill  – was published overnight, ahead of its second reading in the Commons on 29 November. The bill has already been subject to much debate in advance of its publication. Now its proponents and critics have the chance to engage with the detail – most critically the safeguards in the bill which are designed to stop abuses.

Opponents of euthanasia and assisted dying frequently point to the ‘slippery slope’ which they suggest is inevitable once it is legalised, highlighting misuse in other jurisdictions such as Canada. They claim that older people will feel that they are a burden, or that pressure will be brought to bear on the vulnerable by relatives who hope to inherit money. They essentially argue assisted dying is mendacity disguised as altruism.

The new bill’s sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, is keen to demonstrate that her legislation would not allow this and is designed only to allow doctors to assist adults who are terminally ill to end their own lives in limited circumstances.