M

Member

Speaking in the House of Lords on 23 January 2026

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

Thirdly, the Bill permits remote and pre-recorded assessments. Video cannot reliably reveal who is in the room, what pressures exist off-camera or the subtle cues clinicians use to test capacity and voluntariness. Evidence from telemedicine and remote court hearings shows the limits of video for assessing vulnerability. The criminal offence of coercion is reactive. The assessment process must be preventive. Face-to-face contact is not nostalgia. It is a practical safeguard against coercion, miscommunication and error. The amendments insisting on face-to-face steps are therefore not bureaucratic nitpicking but essential protections, and even more so if you are going to have a fast-track procedure such as this.

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