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Twice as many disabled MPs voted against a bill that would have legalised assisted suicide in England and Wales as those that voted in favour, according to calculations by Disability News Service. A parliamentary debate ended with 286 MPs voting against […]
A new government assessment has admitted that disabled people – and particularly older disabled people – could face subtle pressure to choose an assisted death, if a bill described as “unsafe” and “weak” by campaigners is approved by parliament. The impact […]
Andy Burnham has delivered a significant blow to attempts to legalise assisted suicide, after he called for the “fixing” of social care and palliative care funding before there was any debate on legalisation. The new prime minister spoke out yesterday (Wednesday) […]
A disabled peer has raised fears that people with learning difficulties could be “collateral damage” if a controversial assisted suicide bill becomes law. The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill – which applies to England and Wales – continues to make slow […]
The Labour peer trying to steer the assisted suicide bill through the House of Lords has rejected attempts to remove eligibility from disabled people who are homeless, in prison or pregnant, and from many young disabled people. Lord Falconer rejected amendments […]
Peers have been urged to “err on the side of caution” and raise the minimum age limit for an assisted death from 18 to 25, as part of a controversial bill that aims to legalise the practice. As the House of […]
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have united in opposition to attempts to legalise assisted suicide, after months of being excluded from parliamentary discussions. In an open letter, DPOs from across England and Wales have declared opposition to the bill and are protesting […]
Campaigners say it is “deeply worrying” that there does not appear to have been a single disabled peer appointed to a new House of Lords committee set up to consider proposed new laws that will legalise assisted dying. Peers this week […]
Disabled activists who are working with sympathetic peers to address the serious risks posed by the assisted dying bill believe there is also still a chance that the legislation could eventually be thrown out by the House of Lords. Not Dead […]
Peers opposed to the assisted dying bill strongly outnumbered those who were in favour, during the first of two days of debate that will be spread over consecutive Fridays. Of about 90 peers who spoke last Friday (12 September), nearly two-thirds […]