L

Lord Sandhurst (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 30 January 2026

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

My Lords, I can be truly short here and it is further to a point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson. Many of us are concerned about subtle pressure and coercion. It will not appear in all cases, but it will in some and these are legitimate concerns. If this is online, doctors are unlikely to know whether there is someone else present in the room or whether the door is open for someone to listen, nod and encourage the applicant—if I can call the person that—to make their request. If at least one of the panel is present in the room, they would be able to see and counter that. It is really important that there is at least one of those people, preferably the panel, in order to prevent that. That is an important safeguard and, if it is done online, such things could be missed. My recollection is that, in Canada, there have been instances where people, including coroners, have raised legitimate questions afterwards.

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