My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord for an opportunity to reflect on this debate. Nearly 250 Members have spoken in the debate, not the minority that have been spoken about. I remind the House that I am a past president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and...

My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord for an opportunity to reflect on this debate. Nearly 250 Members have spoken in the debate, not the minority that have been spoken about. I remind the House that I am a past president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and...

My Lords, I commend the important speech of the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin. Decisions at the end of life are complex, and a single conversation simply is not enough to capture someone’s physical condition, mental state, and personal and family circumstances. Attempting to record such a complex conversation is quite...

My Lords, I commend the important speech of the noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin. Decisions at the end of life are complex, and a single conversation simply is not enough to capture someone’s physical condition, mental state, and personal and family circumstances. Attempting to record such a complex conversation is quite...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Cass on her excellent speech. I am going to speak to my Amendments 667A, 680, 681A and 848C which seek to ensure that any healthcare professional who wishes to participate in assisted dying under this Bill may do so only by formally...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Cass on her excellent speech. I am going to speak to my Amendments 667A, 680, 681A and 848C which seek to ensure that any healthcare professional who wishes to participate in assisted dying under this Bill may do so only by formally...

The noble Baroness may have misunderstood. I spoke about dual accreditation, which could apply to any doctor from any specialty who wished to obtain the necessary training and accreditation to be able to contribute on this issue.

The noble Baroness may have misunderstood. I spoke about dual accreditation, which could apply to any doctor from any specialty who wished to obtain the necessary training and accreditation to be able to contribute on this issue.

My Lords, I commend the introduction to this group by the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser. At the end of a person’s life, clear and honest communication really matters. When my husband was dying—he had motor neurone disease—he increasingly relied on AACs to communicate. This did indeed test everyone’s patience. People...

My Lords, I commend the introduction to this group by the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser. At the end of a person’s life, clear and honest communication really matters. When my husband was dying—he had motor neurone disease—he increasingly relied on AACs to communicate. This did indeed test everyone’s patience. People...

My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Browning, is not in her place, she has asked me to introduce her Amendment 538, to which I added my name. It simply says that it would require the Secretary of State to consult

“disability rights organisations and the Equality and Human Rights Commission”

before...

My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Browning, is not in her place, she has asked me to introduce her Amendment 538, to which I added my name. It simply says that it would require the Secretary of State to consult

“disability rights organisations and the Equality and Human Rights Commission”

before...

My Lords, I had prepared a longer speech but I will speak very briefly as most of the points that I wanted to make have been made. Of course, I do not want to see women unduly prosecuted, but I was reassured by the wise remarks in Committee of my...

My Lords, I had prepared a longer speech but I will speak very briefly as most of the points that I wanted to make have been made. Of course, I do not want to see women unduly prosecuted, but I was reassured by the wise remarks in Committee of my...

My Lords, when a doctor, the very person entrusted to preserve life and relieve suffering, raises the possibility of assisted dying, it is no longer a neutral act. For some people, particularly

those who are depressed, isolated or overwhelmed, the mere introduction of the possibility of an assisted death risks...

My Lords, when a doctor, the very person entrusted to preserve life and relieve suffering, raises the possibility of assisted dying, it is no longer a neutral act. For some people, particularly

those who are depressed, isolated or overwhelmed, the mere introduction of the possibility of an assisted death risks...

My Lords, I fully endorse the amendments from my noble friend Lady Finlay, and I think they deserve rereading. There has been a

huge misunderstanding of what she actually described. This was not something drafted on the back of an envelope: it is based on years of work spent thinking...

My Lords, I fully endorse the amendments from my noble friend Lady Finlay, and I think they deserve rereading. There has been a

huge misunderstanding of what she actually described. This was not something drafted on the back of an envelope: it is based on years of work spent thinking...

My Lords, I added my name to Amendment 87, which details the exclusion of those with diagnosed eating disorders from accessing assisted dying, because I consider this a tricky area deserving of very careful debate. There are serious and specific risks that the Bill poses to people with anorexia nervosa...

My Lords, I added my name to Amendment 87, which details the exclusion of those with diagnosed eating disorders from accessing assisted dying, because I consider this a tricky area deserving of very careful debate. There are serious and specific risks that the Bill poses to people with anorexia nervosa...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my noble friend, who has presented a different approach to assessing capacity. I was a member of the post-legislative scrutiny committee on the Mental Capacity Act. Both in my professional capacity as a learning disability psychiatrist and as a family carer, I...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my noble friend, who has presented a different approach to assessing capacity. I was a member of the post-legislative scrutiny committee on the Mental Capacity Act. Both in my professional capacity as a learning disability psychiatrist and as a family carer, I...

A bespoke decision-making framework would initially be legally untested, but the same is true of the Mental Capacity Act, which, as my noble friend Lady Cass said, has never been operationalised or judicially tested in the context of assisted dying. The idea that the two doctors involved would be trained...

A bespoke decision-making framework would initially be legally untested, but the same is true of the Mental Capacity Act, which, as my noble friend Lady Cass said, has never been operationalised or judicially tested in the context of assisted dying. The idea that the two doctors involved would be trained...

Let me frame it as a question then. Does the noble and learned Lord agree that there are already bespoke decision-making frameworks and that this is not novel in UK law?

Let me frame it as a question then. Does the noble and learned Lord agree that there are already bespoke decision-making frameworks and that this is not novel in UK law?

My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 75, which I have added my name to. It addresses probably the most decisive yet hardest to confirm clinical issue, and is central to the Bill.

Prognosis is not determined by diagnosis alone. Throughout my career as a doctor, I have seen many patients...

My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 75, which I have added my name to. It addresses probably the most decisive yet hardest to confirm clinical issue, and is central to the Bill.

Prognosis is not determined by diagnosis alone. Throughout my career as a doctor, I have seen many patients...

My Lords, for the purposes of the point I am making, I am going to proceed on the assumption that was put forward by the sponsors that the drugs used for an assisted death are to be treated as a healthcare intervention, although I do not accept that this assumption...

My Lords, for the purposes of the point I am making, I am going to proceed on the assumption that was put forward by the sponsors that the drugs used for an assisted death are to be treated as a healthcare intervention, although I do not accept that this assumption...

My Lords, I support and have added my name to Amendment 771ZA, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Mackinlay, which would prevent the assisted dying service being part of the NHS. I agree with the points made by my noble friend Lord Stevens.

Integration into mainstream healthcare appears to...

My Lords, I support and have added my name to Amendment 771ZA, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Mackinlay, which would prevent the assisted dying service being part of the NHS. I agree with the points made by my noble friend Lord Stevens.

Integration into mainstream healthcare appears to...

My Lords, I have added my name to several of my noble friend’s amendments and I would like to congratulate him on finding a solution that could allow the Bill to meet one of the sponsors’ original aspirations. The impact of Amendments 25 and 120 are many. One that may...

My Lords, I have added my name to several of my noble friend’s amendments and I would like to congratulate him on finding a solution that could allow the Bill to meet one of the sponsors’ original aspirations. The impact of Amendments 25 and 120 are many. One that may...

My Lords, when I first read this Bill, I realised that there was something important missing—a first stage, if you like. This group of amendments is probably one of the most important to address before the Bill can really make progress. Ther Bill, in its drafting, has perhaps failed to...

My Lords, when I first read this Bill, I realised that there was something important missing—a first stage, if you like. This group of amendments is probably one of the most important to address before the Bill can really make progress. Ther Bill, in its drafting, has perhaps failed to...

My Lords, I would like to comment on this group in response to what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, has just said.

In its recent briefing for Peers, the Royal College of Psychiatrists gave its view:

“Assessors should be required to take all practicable steps to work with professionals involved...

My Lords, I would like to comment on this group in response to what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, has just said.

In its recent briefing for Peers, the Royal College of Psychiatrists gave its view:

“Assessors should be required to take all practicable steps to work with professionals involved...

My Lords, I welcome the comments from the noble and learned Lord. General practice is very different today from when I practised as a GP earlier in my career; it was certainly not as part of a multidisciplinary team.

I added my name to the very reasonable Amendment 21 tabled by...

My Lords, I welcome the comments from the noble and learned Lord. General practice is very different today from when I practised as a GP earlier in my career; it was certainly not as part of a multidisciplinary team.

I added my name to the very reasonable Amendment 21 tabled by...