B

Baroness Berridge (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 13 March 2026

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

I do not think we have fully understood these two categories. I was grateful to the noble and learned Lord for the meeting with Professor Ruck Keene. It is clear, particularly when you are talking about the Mental Health Act, when there are two different statutes you can choose from, that we need to be clearer about that for clinicians. So, unfortunately, even at this late stage, I am afraid I will have to lay some amendments so that we can really talk about this in detail, because it is a matter of concern, particularly to psychiatrists. On the points I have made about children, I accept the point from the Minister that the probing amendment is probably too wide. However, we have not even had the comments on the categories of people who can now raise this with children, such as schools, et cetera. I also raised the point—I am grateful that the noble Lord, Lord Tarassenko, is now in his place—that I believe we also now have this gap with regard to what advertising prohibits. You have medical practitioners unable to raise it with under-18s, but then you have a whole wealth of technology in between that, which can, as we know, even with a mistaken question, raise this issue with under-18s. What does the noble and learned Lord envisage will happen in those scenarios, which are at the moment subject to legal cases in other jurisdictions?

More from Baroness Berridge (Con)

Other recent Hansard contributions by the same speaker.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

Partner sites