Many of you helped to pray about the Assisted Dying Bill. We thank you for your prayers and wanted to update you on what happened in the House of Lords as Peers debated the Assisted Dying Bill at Second Reading.
From CARE…
It was a long debate which began at 10am and didn’t finish until close to 7pm! Hundreds of Peers spoke, demonstrating the high level of interest in the Bill.
Overall, there were some outstanding contributions from Peers speaking out against this Bill. I want to pay tribute to Baroness Finlay, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, Lord Alton and Lord McColl in particular, all of whom have been consistent and outstanding campaigners against assisted suicide. You can read highlights from their speeches – and others – on our website.
At the end of the debate, there was no vote, which is the convention when it comes to Bills in the House of Lords at Second Reading. Don’t be fooled by the claims you may see in the press which might use language suggesting this Bill passing Second Reading is a great victory. Rather, it is a procedural formality.
In fact, the debate confirms what we knew already that there is no settled will in Parliament on this sensitive issue which only serves to highlight the importance of what you did by praying and contact Peers.
A huge thank you to you, for taking the time to engage with Peers on this Bill. Nearly 2,000 emails were sent from CARE’s website and if that included you – thank you so, so much. Your help made a difference and many Peers cited some of the correspondence they had from people like you.
So, what happens next?
The Bill moves to Committee Stage where amendments will be brought forward and debated in forensic detail. At this stage, we’re not sure when that will be, but we will let you know as soon as we have more information.
What is clear is that this is certainly not the end of the battle over this Bill. Those pushing for this dangerous change in the law are relentless and will keep pushing. We will keep you informed as we hear about the next stage.
