Amendments to Assisted Dying Bill essential for its viability, says Herts expert
The Bill with its proposed changes will be debated in Parliament today
The Assisted Dying Bill will return to the House of Commons today for its report stage, a key moment in its progression through Parliament.
The Prime Minister has indicated he remains supportive of the assisted dying Bill amid questions raised by a leading psychiatrists' body.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which relates to England and Wales, returns to the House of Commons after a historic yes vote in November.
It is not yet clear whether time will allow for a third reading vote, with the possibility that the report stage could instead run into a second day next month due to the large number of further amendments which have been proposed.
A cross-party group of MPs with medical and clinical backgrounds has urged colleagues in Parliament to support the Bill, which they say now has "stronger protections and solid cross-party support".
Their appeal followed what was been branded by one opponent as a "blow to (the Bill's) foundations", when the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) announced late on Tuesday that it has "serious concerns" and cannot support the proposed legislation in its current form.
The college, which is the professional medical body for psychiatrists, said it has "unanswered questions" about the safeguarding of people with mental illness.
RCPsych, which remains neutral on the principle of assisted dying, has also warned of a shortage of consultant psychiatrists to meet the demands of a Bill which would currently require a psychiatrist to sit on a three-member panel alongside a social worker and senior legal figure to assess a terminally ill person's application.
Reports speculating on the numbers of MPs who had supported the Bill last year but are now considering voting against it have been dismissed by the Bill's backers who reject the idea the proposed legislation is at risk of collapse.
The Prime Minister was one of those who voted in favour of the Bill in November, and signalled on Thursday that his mind has not changed on the matter.
Dr Claudia Carr, Principal Lecturer in Law and Medical Ethics at Hertfordshire Law School, said: "It's a lengthy debate on the amendments that have been explored since the last stage.
"Although the bill passed easily last time, there have been so many discussions, debates, so many prospective amendments, so much attention has gone into this bill that if this bill gets passed, I think we should have real confidence that this will be a bill that will provide safeguards and protect as far as possible the most vulnerable in society."
One of the key issues expected to be debated is the replacement of judicial oversight with a newly proposed system involving a panel of experts.
Dr Carr explained: “It's what's perceived to be the removal of judicial oversight and the introduction of a voluntary assisted dying commissioner who will have the power and authority to appoint a panel and this will be a panel of experts.
"There will be 3 experts who will sit on the panel. The lead will be a senior lawyer, a judge - that judge must have sat at the High Court, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court.
"So you can't get much higher."
The panel would also include “a psychiatrist and a social worker,” which Dr Carr said could help ensure as far as possible that there has been no undue influence or coercive control, and that coercive control will be a criminal offence.
Ahead of a debated expected to last hours, she highlighted potential obstacles to a successful vote, including procedural delays.
If the bill does not conclude its report stage, it could get pushed down the list with other private member’s bills.