B

Baroness Hollins (CB)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 6 February 2026

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

A bespoke decision-making framework would initially be legally untested, but the same is true of the Mental Capacity Act, which, as my noble friend Lady Cass said, has never been operationalised or judicially tested in the context of assisted dying. The idea that the two doctors involved would be trained ignores my point that this kind of complexity is not something that can be learned simply through an extra little module. It requires years of experience to help people develop the understanding and ability to make these kinds of assessments. Further, the existence of bespoke decision-making frameworks is not novel in UK law. The Mental Health Act already operates in power over the Mental Capacity Act, recognising that certain contexts require a different approach to decision-making.

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