Dr Marie Tidball, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has co-sponsored the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which has been recently reintroduced to the Commons by Lauren Edwards MP. This comes after the House of Lords blocked the legislation, by making it run out of parliamentary time.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults, with a prognosis of six months or less, to have the choice of an assisted death.
Lauren Edwards MP has reintroduced the bill to Parliament, which Kim Leadbeater MP sponsored in 2024. Dr Tidball MP previously sat on the Bill Committee for over 90 hours last year, and was reassured by its safeguards, many of which she drafted as amendments – including those to strengthen protections for disabled people.
During a Westminster Hall debate on ensuring Bills backed by MPs and public opinion are not blocked by the unelected House of Lords, Marie Tidball told Parliament:
“The filibustering in the Lords and the inability of them to deal with the Assisted Dying Bill within reasonable time, actually fetters us as backbenchers and has a chilling effect in bringing a number of issues of conscience as Private Members’ Bills.”
Dr Tidball also added in a statement outlining her position:
“For me, the essence of assisted dying is about choice. As a disabled woman, too often I see that control is taken away from disabled people in all sorts of circumstances. I passionately believe in inclusive healthcare for disabled people and ensuring they have a strong voice in advocating for themselves on that healthcare.”
“My constituents have also continued to share their stories about the need for access to an assisted death, where an adult is terminally ill and only has six months left to live. This is about completion and bringing clarity and certainty for terminally ill people across our country.”
“During the Committee Stage when this Bill was first introduced to the House of Commons, I personally brought three amendments, which were unanimously supported by the Committee and are now part of the Bill, to introduce stronger safeguards for disabled people and strengthen our voices. These amendments introduced two New Clauses. The first established a Disability Programme Board, made up of disabled people and our organisations, to embed a long-term and iterative structure in law to report on the Bill's implementation and impact on disabled people. The second New Clause established provisions to put in place independent advocates for people with autism, and mental health conditions enabling them to effectively understand their options around end-of-life care.”
“My friend and incredible assisted dying campaigner, Nathaniel Dye, passed away last year. He squeezed every last drop of joy out of life and taught me so much about why living a good death matters. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is about ensuring those who are terminally ill are given the dignity, choice and compassion to live a good death.”
“I am proud to support this Bill being brought back to Parliament again.”
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