Member

In oral evidence to the Lords Select Committee on the Bill, we heard from Cherryl Henry-Leach, the chief executive of Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse. She highlighted that, by its nature, coercion is difficult to spot and there are serious concerns about protecting victims of abuse in this Bill. She also said, as did various other experts, including the mental health charity Mind, that the current safeguards in the Bill were not yet adequate. It is therefore vital that we do not leave any doubt in the Bill that a request for an assisted death can be made only by the person themselves. It is essential that Clause 1, which sets out the key principles of eligibility for an assisted death, is as clear and as accurate as possible, leaving no room at all for ambiguity or wider interpretation later on.