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| Assisted dying law would lessen suffering says Falconer | Assisted dying law would lessen suffering says Falconer |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Legalising assisting dying would mean "less suffering not more deaths", a leading campaigner has said as peers debate the issue in the House of Lords. | Legalising assisting dying would mean "less suffering not more deaths", a leading campaigner has said as peers debate the issue in the House of Lords. |
| Lord Falconer said a "limited" change was needed to the law to give the terminally ill choice on their deaths. | Lord Falconer said a "limited" change was needed to the law to give the terminally ill choice on their deaths. |
| He insisted that the "final decision must always be made by the patient", with safeguards to prevent "abuse" | He insisted that the "final decision must always be made by the patient", with safeguards to prevent "abuse" |
| But Lord Tebbit said it would create "too much of a financial incentive for the taking of life". | But Lord Tebbit said it would create "too much of a financial incentive for the taking of life". |
| Lord Falconer's bill which would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose to terminally ill patients judged to have less than six months to live. | Lord Falconer's bill which would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose to terminally ill patients judged to have less than six months to live. |
| About 130 peers have requested to speak in a debate on the subject, which started shortly after 10:00 BST. | About 130 peers have requested to speak in a debate on the subject, which started shortly after 10:00 BST. |
| 'Lonely death' | 'Lonely death' |
| The bill is expected to get a second reading in the Lords, but without government backing MPs are unlikely to get a chance to debate it in the Commons, meaning it will not become law. | The bill is expected to get a second reading in the Lords, but without government backing MPs are unlikely to get a chance to debate it in the Commons, meaning it will not become law. |
| Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is not "convinced" by the arguments for legalising assisted dying but the bill has won the backing of Lib Dem Care Minister Norman Lamb. | Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is not "convinced" by the arguments for legalising assisted dying but the bill has won the backing of Lib Dem Care Minister Norman Lamb. |
| The legislation would allow a terminally ill, mentally competent adult, making the choice of their own free will and after meeting strict legal safeguards, to request life-ending medication from a doctor. | The legislation would allow a terminally ill, mentally competent adult, making the choice of their own free will and after meeting strict legal safeguards, to request life-ending medication from a doctor. |
| Two independent doctors would be required to agree that the patient had made an informed decision to die. | Two independent doctors would be required to agree that the patient had made an informed decision to die. |
| Opening the debate in a full house, Lord Falconer - a former Labour Lord Chancellor - told peers the current legal situation permitted the wealthy to travel abroad to take their own life while others were left "in despair" to suffer a "lonely, cruel death". | Opening the debate in a full house, Lord Falconer - a former Labour Lord Chancellor - told peers the current legal situation permitted the wealthy to travel abroad to take their own life while others were left "in despair" to suffer a "lonely, cruel death". |
| "The current situation leaves the rich able to go to Switzerland, the majority reliant on amateur assistants, the compassionate treated like criminals and no safeguards in terms of undue pressure now," he said. | "The current situation leaves the rich able to go to Switzerland, the majority reliant on amateur assistants, the compassionate treated like criminals and no safeguards in terms of undue pressure now," he said. |
| He said many people were so worried about "implicating their loves ones in a criminal enterprise" by asking them for help to die that they took their lives "by hoarding pills or putting a plastic bag over their heads". | He said many people were so worried about "implicating their loves ones in a criminal enterprise" by asking them for help to die that they took their lives "by hoarding pills or putting a plastic bag over their heads". |
| Legalising assisted dying, he argued would allow a "small number" of people who did want to "go through the last months, weeks, days and hours" to die with dignity. | Legalising assisted dying, he argued would allow a "small number" of people who did want to "go through the last months, weeks, days and hours" to die with dignity. |
| Lord Falconer's bill was backed by Lord Avebury, the former Liberal MP, who was diagnosed with terminal blood cancer in 2011. | Lord Falconer's bill was backed by Lord Avebury, the former Liberal MP, who was diagnosed with terminal blood cancer in 2011. |
| He urged peers to consider helping thousands of people who he said faced "weeks of torture before they die a means of escaping from that unnecessary fate". | He urged peers to consider helping thousands of people who he said faced "weeks of torture before they die a means of escaping from that unnecessary fate". |
| Assisted dying debate | |
| What is the current law on assisted dying around the UK? | |
| The 1961 Suicide Act makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt in England and Wales. Anyone doing so could face up to 14 years in prison. | |
| The law is almost identical in Northern Ireland. There is no specific law on assisted suicide in Scotland, creating some uncertainty, although in theory someone could be prosecuted under homicide legislation. | |
| Have there been any previous attempts to change the law? | |
| There have already been several attempts to legalise assisted dying, but these have been rejected. | |
| The Commission on Assisted Dying, established and funded by campaigners who have been calling for a change in the law, concluded in 2012 that there was a "strong case" for allowing assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales. | |
| But the medical profession and disability rights groups, among others, argue that the law should not be changed because it is there to protect the vulnerable in society. | |
| What is the situation abroad? | |
| In other countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, legislation has been introduced to allow assisted dying. France is considering a possible introduction of similar legislation, although there is opposition from its medical ethics council. | |
| Campaign group Dignity in Dying predicts that a lot more countries will follow suit. | |
| But the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said the proposed legislation was "not about relieving pain and suffering" but was based on the misguided belief that "ending your life in circumstances of distress is an assertion of human freedom". | But the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said the proposed legislation was "not about relieving pain and suffering" but was based on the misguided belief that "ending your life in circumstances of distress is an assertion of human freedom". |
| 'Confronting mortality' | |
| He told peers that his mother had been given weeks to live after being diagnosed with throat cancer but, with the help of others, had lived for a further 18 months. | He told peers that his mother had been given weeks to live after being diagnosed with throat cancer but, with the help of others, had lived for a further 18 months. |
| "Dying well is a positive achievement of a task which belongs to our humanity." | "Dying well is a positive achievement of a task which belongs to our humanity." |
| Calling for a Royal Commission to be set up to examine the issue, he added: "This is far too a complex and sensitive issue to rush through Parliament and to decide on the basis of competing personal stories." | Calling for a Royal Commission to be set up to examine the issue, he added: "This is far too a complex and sensitive issue to rush through Parliament and to decide on the basis of competing personal stories." |
| The bill was attacked by former Tory cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who said it could put pressure on people who are unable to care for themselves to "do the decent thing to cease to be a burden on others". | The bill was attacked by former Tory cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who said it could put pressure on people who are unable to care for themselves to "do the decent thing to cease to be a burden on others". |
| Lord Tebbit, whose wife was paralysed in the 1984 Brighton bombing, also suggested legalising assisted dying could lead to personal and financial disputes between loved ones and relatives. | Lord Tebbit, whose wife was paralysed in the 1984 Brighton bombing, also suggested legalising assisted dying could lead to personal and financial disputes between loved ones and relatives. |
| "The bill would be a breeding ground for vultures, both corporate and individual. It creates too much financial incentive for the taking of life." | "The bill would be a breeding ground for vultures, both corporate and individual. It creates too much financial incentive for the taking of life." |
| Analysis by BBC parliamentary correspondent Sean Curran | Analysis by BBC parliamentary correspondent Sean Curran |
| It looks as though a record number of peers will take part in the debate on the Assisted Dying Bill. | It looks as though a record number of peers will take part in the debate on the Assisted Dying Bill. |
| More than 130 members of the Lords have indicated they want to speak about the proposals. | More than 130 members of the Lords have indicated they want to speak about the proposals. |
| Peers have already been warned that they'll probably get only four minutes each to make their case. | Peers have already been warned that they'll probably get only four minutes each to make their case. |
| At this stage peers will have a general discussion about the bill. If their Lordships stick to the time limit the debate should end at about 20:00 BST. | At this stage peers will have a general discussion about the bill. If their Lordships stick to the time limit the debate should end at about 20:00 BST. |
| There won't be a vote at the end of this debate but that doesn't mean the measure is guaranteed to become law. The arguments about the details, and the chances to amend the legislation, will come later - after the summer break. | There won't be a vote at the end of this debate but that doesn't mean the measure is guaranteed to become law. The arguments about the details, and the chances to amend the legislation, will come later - after the summer break. |
| Speaking on Wednesday, the prime minister warned that "people might be being pushed into things that they don't actually want for themselves". | Speaking on Wednesday, the prime minister warned that "people might be being pushed into things that they don't actually want for themselves". |
| The Church of England has called for an inquiry into the issue. | The Church of England has called for an inquiry into the issue. |
| But former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has said he has changed his mind and was now in favour after considering cases like that of locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson and "the reality of needless suffering". | But former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has said he has changed his mind and was now in favour after considering cases like that of locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson and "the reality of needless suffering". |