Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Lord Craig of Radley Excerpts

Friday 12th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Craig of Radley (CB)]

My Lords, I, too, have received and acknowledge many emails and letters. What surprised me is that the vast majority expressed deep reservations and anxieties. I wish to record my appreciation of and thanks to all those who have been in touch with me; it has affected my own thinking.

A wish to help is understandable, but difficulties mount as attempts are made to ring-fence away from all others those who might be allowed to choose assisted suicide. Is the Mental Capacity Act a sufficient safeguard in determining sentience when dealing with this life-or-death decision? Its thrust is to determine whether the individual lacks degrees of capacity, rather than that they have the extra strength and steadfastness of capacity to decide on life or death. With every good intention, this Bill attempts to define the ring-fence, but gaps in the fence exist, such as for accurately assessing life remaining, with or without treatments. It sidesteps the probability of more successful treatments.

Others are overlooked. Take a soldier almost fatally burned, wounded or CBRN-poisoned fighting for his country and with a prognosis of no more than six months to live. Does not such a case equate to, or even trump, a peacetime terminal illness? What, then, of the military covenant? It is ignored, and that is just shameful.

The subject that we are debating is not solely about an adult seeking an earlier death; it is also about the friends and families, and others, who know the individual. Although the legislation addresses the former, the views, feelings and behaviour of the latter cannot be ignored. Even a 59-page Bill with more than 50 clauses, three schedules and ministerial regulations to come may not be foolproof against any venal behaviour.

Presumably for devolved reasons, this Bill covers only England and Wales. Were it a government Bill, would it be thus restricted geographically? The idea that a Dignitas equivalent might be arranged in one part of the UK for use by another is abhorrent. We do not control the time of the first breath in our life. Society places special value on the right to live. Since the abolition of the death penalty, should it be approved by law to time one’s last living breath?

Although I do not wish to set aside all feelings of sympathy, this Bill is flawed. As such, it is not worthy of enactment.