Kim Leadbeater outlines safeguards in proposed assisted dying bill – video

A proposed law to allow assisted dying in England and Wales will include strict protections, such as significant prison terms for anyone who tries to coerce a patient, along with the authority for judges to question patients directly.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater expressed her confidence that she had proposed the most effective legislation possible. She warned hesitant MPs that parliament might not have another opportunity to vote on this topic for another ten years. She assured them that the legislation would include the toughest protections and safeguards found anywhere globally, in response to increasing worries from some lawmakers about the risks of expanding the scope of the legislation and the potential for coercive practices.

The proposed law on assisted dying will feature stringent protections, which will involve significant prison sentences for anyone found guilty of coercion.

The assisted dying legislation: its implications for patients in England and Wales