New amendment to reduce assisted dying implementation deadline to three years

Tom Gordon MP has put forward an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill to reduce the deadline for the Government to introduce assisted dying from four years to three. Humanists UK and My Death, My Decision have welcomed the amendment.

The first draft of the Bill set the maximum time the Government could take to implement assisted dying at two years, but during the committee stage this deadline was increased to four years. No other jurisdiction in the world has taken even close four years to implement an assisted dying bill.

If selected by the speaker, the amendment would be debated and voted on at Report Stage on 25 April.

Tom Gordon MP, who tabled the amendment, said:

‘A three-year deadline for implementation strikes a fair balance between the Government, which has pushed for delays, and Parliament, which voted for a compassionate change to assisted dying.

As the only MP on the Bill committee to oppose extending the deadline to four years, I believe terminally ill people must have a voice in this debate. Any delay risks denying thousands the choice of a dignified death, forcing them to suffer unnecessarily.’

Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, said:

‘Assisted dying laws have been implemented in thirty-one jurisdictions around the world, mostly within a year and a half. Only the US state of Oregon took longer, solely because of legal challenges — and then only three years. A four-year backstop is unnecessary and risks giving succour to those who would seek to frustrate this new law.’

Claire Macdonald, Director of My Death, My Decision said:

‘It’s unreasonable that the Government would need four years to set up an assisted dying service. Politicians keep forgetting we are not pioneers in this space. Assisted dying has been legal in many countries for years. We don’t need to develop training and guidance from scratch when it exists extensively in Australia, New Zealand, and many other jurisdictions.

‘Three years is a much better and safer backstop than four and we would support this amendment, however we maintain the Government should endeavour to implement assisted dying at the earliest opportunity.’