Kim Leadbeater MP MBE, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, has announced that her Private Member’s Bill on Choice at the End of Life will have its Second Reading on Friday 29 November. This marks the first opportunity for MPs to debate and vote on an assisted dying bill since 2015.
Ms Leadbeater will formally introduce the bill to the House of Commons during its First Reading on Wednesday 16 October.
Humanists UK has welcomed the news and is urging MPs to vote in favour of choice, dignity, and compassion.
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, said:
‘This is a defining moment for our country. Kim Leadbeater’s bill offers Parliament a rare chance to bring about real, life-changing reform for adults who are intolerably suffering from incurable conditions.
‘For too long, people have been forced to suffer needlessly, deprived of the choice to die with dignity on their own terms. With overwhelming public support behind this bill, MPs have a duty to act. Legalising assisted dying with strict safeguards will ensure that no one has to endure unbearable suffering at the end of their life. This is about offering people control, compassion, and dignity when they need it most.’
A members’ debate and vote in the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) will be held on Wednesday 23 October on assisted dying for the terminally ill and incurably suffering
The Assisted Dying Bill will apply to England and Wales only. A private member’s bill in Scotland by Liam McArthur MSP has been introduced in the Scottish Parliament.
