Assisted Dying Bill Proposes Stricter Safeguards for Doctors and Patients

Kim Leadbeater MP introduces amendments to ensure rigorous protections for vulnerable individuals while maintaining patient autonomy and dignity.

Doctors would be required to discuss all treatment and palliative care options before addressing assisted dying with patients.
New amendments mandate detailed assessments of mental capacity and risks of coercion for patients seeking assisted dying.
Specialized training for medical practitioners on capacity and coercion will be developed in consultation with experts and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The proposed legislation allows terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to end their lives with medical assistance, subject to approval by two doctors and potentially a High Court judge.
Line-by-line scrutiny of the bill by MPs is set to begin next week, with further amendments expected before additional parliamentary debates later this year.