In Great Britain, following a very close vote by the House of Commons in favour of the proposed bill on assisted suicide last June, the House of Lords received the text on 19th September 2025 and deferred its examination by calling for expert advice.
A special commission on assisted suicide
It is thanks to an intervention by Baroness Luciana Berger (labour) who is opposed to the law, that this deferral was reluctantly granted by her colleague Lord Charlie Falconer (labour), the reporter for the bill in the House of Lords. It was agreed to create a special commission of experts, to undertake an in-depth examination of the many problems created by the text and its impact on the most vulnerable.
It concerns in particular the funding of assisted suicide, its potential impact on the health system and the law, as well as on the role of judges and the different health workers. The commission will collect advice from the Ministers of Health, Wes Streeting, and of Justice, David Lammy, as well as from representatives of medical faculties, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
What is the content of the text ?
The text adopted by Parliament would legalise assisted suicide i.e. that the patient would self-administer the lethal substance. In order to be eligible, the person must be suffering from an incurable disease and have a life expectancy estimated at 6 months. Among the other criteria, the person must:
- Have the mental capacity to ask for assisted suicide and be reputed to have expressed the wish in a clear, established and enlightened manner, free from any coercion or pressure; a 14-day prison sentence is intended for any person pressurising someone to declare that they wish to end their days.
- Make two distinct written declarations, signed and certified, concerning the wish to die.
- Comply with a 14-day cooling off period between the approval of the request and the execution of assisted suicide.
A conscience clause would be applicable to all health workers, including pharmacists.
A text which gave rise to tensions in the House of Commons
Strong tensions erupted during the examination in the House of Commons following a vote on an amendment concerning the evaluation of the access criteria for assisted suicide. Originally, the decision was to be taken by a judge after taking advice from two independent doctors. In the text forwarded to the House of Lords, the intervention by a judge had disappeared and was replaced by the appointment of a committee consisting of a social worker, a high-ranking legal personality (such as an ex-judge) and a psychiatrist. The shortage of palliative care (which should be a priority) as well as the 6-month life expectancy (difficult to objectivize) were also criticized.
The groups who defend the rights of the handicapped are strongly mobilised, warning about the risks of this legislation for the most vulnerable. Among the personalities who made public statements, J.K. Rowling, who created the Harry Potter phenomenon, explained her about-turn on the question. She explained that she has realised the pressures which could be applied to the sick or vulnerable through her doctor husband.
The special commission is due to make a stand by 7th November. Work should then resume with the examination of the text in the Lords. In order to become law, the text must be approved in the same terms by both Houses with a possible to-and-fro sequence. It must also be adopted during the parliamentary session which ends in the spring of 2026.
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