Overview

• Around 190 peers have registered to speak across a two-day Second Reading on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, exceeding previous records if all contribute.
• The proposal would allow assisted dying in England and Wales for mentally competent adults with a terminal diagnosis of less than six months, requiring approval by two doctors and an expert panel.
• Theresa May led high-profile opposition in the chamber, arguing the bill risks pressuring vulnerable people and could be used to conceal medical errors, while the Bishop of London reiterated grave concerns.
• The Equality and Human Rights Commission urged peers to seek fuller analysis of impacts on protected groups, questioned the use of a Private Member’s Bill, and highlighted the difficulty of reliably predicting life expectancy.
• Bill sponsor Lord Falconer urged the Lords to scrutinise rather than block the measure, and Commons sponsor Kim Leadbeater rejected claims it could enable cover-ups, as supporters including Dame Esther Rantzen appealed for the law to progress.