Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Patricia Ferguson Excerpts

Friday 16th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Kim Leadbeater]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that point. The eligibility criteria in this Bill are very different from those in the jurisdictions he mentions—people with mental health conditions are not eligible for assisted dying under the provisions of this Bill.

[Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow West) (Lab)]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Kim Leadbeater]

I will just finish this point, because it is very important.

I acknowledge the concerns that colleagues have expressed around this issue, and I believe they are the motivation behind amendment 14. As I have set out, I think that risk is negligible. I have taken advice, and there is some concern that clinicians might have difficulty assessing with certainty that the decision to stop eating and eating was the only reason for a person’s terminal prognosis; as such, some further drafting changes may be required in the other place if this amendment should pass. With that in mind, however, and to ensure there is no sort of loophole, no matter how small the reality is of there being one, I am happy to support this amendment today.