Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the assisted suicide bill, has been criticised for scrapping what was previously seen as one of the key safeguards against abuse in the draft legislation, namely the requirement that a High Court judge approve applications to undergo assisted suicide.
Critics of assisted suicide claim that many elderly, disabled or vulnerable people may be pressured into ending their lives, either by family members, or even by the NHS itself, which is under tremendous budgetary pressures.
Before second reading of the bill in late November, Leadbeater claimed that her proposed bill had “the strictest safeguards anywhere in the world”, the most prominent of which was the need for approval from a High Court judge.
Despite saying that she would not remove this safeguard, Leadbeater has in fact done so, instead proposing what critics have labelled “death panels” made up of a more junior judge, a social worker and a psychiatrist.
The removal of the High Court judge provision has spooked a number of MPs who previously voted on the bill, in large part because they were assured by Leadbeater that the High Court judge provision would be the ultimate safeguard against abuse.
According to The Independent, 60 MPs who voted in favour of the law at the second reading in November did so because of the High Court Judge provision. The bill passed second reading by only 55 votes.
One Lib Dem MP who voted in favour of the bill told The Times, “One of the most important things to me when I voted for the bill was the inclusion of a High Court judge and during the debate, that was used countless times to allay our concerns.
“I need to look my constituents in the eye and tell them that the safeguards are still there, and now I’m not sure I’m there."
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, condemned the bill, saying, “This dangerous bill would place thousands of vulnerable people at risk in the coming years if it is passed.
"Just 28 MPs changing their stance to oppose the bill would ensure it is defeated at Third Reading. We must now see this bill defeated.”
