The United Kingdom’s controversial assisted-suicide bill has died a well-assisted death in the House of Lords. But supporters in the House of Commons, who blamed its failure on parliamentary maneuvering by Peers, hope to reintroduce it next session and use their own tricks to get it on the books nonetheless.
Peer Pressure
Introduced by Labor Party MP Kim Leadbeater, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would grant adults expected to die within six months the right to medical assistance in killing themselves prematurely.
The bill passed the Commons last summer, but stalled in the Lords after Peers mounted “near-unprecedented levels of opposition to” it, reported Right To Life UK. The organization noted that “nearly 80 Peers have so far tabled or signed amendments highlighting concerns with the Bill” and “131 Peers have either spoken against the Bill or signed amendments raising such concerns.” Furthermore:
131 is an exceptionally high number of Peers opposing a Bill, particularly one where debates are reserved for Fridays, when Peers are often not expected to be in Parliament. It is even more remarkable given that the Bill had not completed Committee Stage or reached its Report Stage or Third Reading. In addition to these 131 Peers, it is known that many more Peers are opposed to the Bill. Others have already spoken out in the media or expressed concerns via written parliamentary questions.
The bill received 14 Friday debates without getting out of the committee stage, during which time Peers introduced over 1,200 amendments, “believed to be a record high for a bill introduced by a backbench MP,” according to the BBC.
Hellbound and Down 