HIGH COURT JUDGE INPUT TO BE REMOVED FROM ASSISTED DYING BILL – Under this revised system, a judge or former judge would oversee cases.
A key safeguard requiring High Court approval for assisted dying cases has been removed from the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
MPs on the parliamentary scrutiny committee voted to scrap the clause, originally included to reassure those hesitant about the legislation.
The bill, introduced last year, aims to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales who have been given less than six months to live, provided their decision is approved by two doctors and a High Court judge.
However, in a 15 to 7 vote, MPs opted to remove the court-approval requirement, replacing it with a proposal from Labour MP Kim Leadbeater to establish a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner.
Under this revised system, a judge or former judge would oversee cases, supported by expert panels that include a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist, and a social worker. The details of this new framework will be voted on at a later stage.
Many argue that removing the High Court’s involvement weakens safeguards for vulnerable individuals. One opponent stated that the decision “fundamentally weakens protections for the vulnerable and shows just how haphazard this whole process has become.”
