An update on the prospect of assisted dying being introduced in this country has been provided in Reading, as the Lords have stalled the bill in parliament.
Assisted Dying involves a terminally ill person with an incurable condition receiving assistance to take their own life, and is legal in countries such as Canada, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain.
It could be introduced to England and Wales through the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was introduced to Parliament by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley.
Pro-Life campaigners who oppose the bill call it ‘assisted suicide’, and more than 1,000 doctors wrote to MPs urging them to vote against it.
Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, has updated her constituents about the progress of the Bill.
It was introduced in a first reading by Ms Leadbeater, with MPs being given an un-whipped vote for the second and third readings.
Ms Yang voted for it on the second reading, but against it on the third reading.
Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central and Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, voted against the bill at both readings.
Explaining her reasoning, Ms Yang said: “I voted for the Bill at Second Reading last November, because I support the principle that people who are terminally ill, with less than six months to live, should be allowed to choose an assisted death. However, at the third reading, I voted against the Bill.
“My main concerns around the Bill were linked to the lack of holistic assessment built into the consultation process, which was highlighted by the Royal Society of Psychiatrists.
“Secondly, I was concerned about the way in which the Bill might affect vulnerable groups who have already been let down by the healthcare system, and their perception of the NHS.
“This was a very difficult decision for me to make, and I have great respect for my colleagues, across all political parties, who came to different conclusions.”
After the votes in the House of Commons, the bill is then scrutinised by the House of Lords, which can make amendments to it.
Ms Yang explained: “More than 1,200 amendments have been tabled in the Lords, 700 of those by just eight peers.
“This means that it’s very unlikely that the Bill will be passed by the end of this ‘parliamentary session’, which is expected to finish in May.
“If it doesn’t pass by then, it won’t become law – the debate runs out of time.”
She then stated the bill is effectively “doomed” because Lords tend to debate each amendment in turn.
MPs can use the Parliament Act of 1911 to bypass the Lords if a bill has been rejected by them twice in a row.
While Ms Yang supported the government’s abolition of hereditary peers in the Lords, she believes more reforms are much needed.
Her position was expressed in an email to constituents on Thursday, March 12, and used with the consent of her team.
