Is the assisted dying bill being filibustered?

About this episode

The episode discusses the progress and challenges of the assisted dying bill in the House of Lords, featuring insights from Conservative Peer Lord Harper.

In this episode we continue our special series tracking the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Private Member’s Bill that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. With Committee Stage in the House of Lords progressing slowly – and time in the parliamentary Session running out – we talk to Conservative Peer Lord Harper, a prominent opponent of the legislation and one of the Peers who has been heavily involved in the lengthy Committee debates. Critics argue that the scale of amendments and extended scrutiny in the Lords amounts to a filibuster designed to run down the clock. Harper rejects that characterisation. He insists that Peers are fulfilling their constitutional role as a revising chamber by probing serious flaws in the Bill and raising concerns about safeguards for vulnerable and disabled people. Harper argues that the Bill – unusually large and complex for a Private Member’s Bill – arrived in the Lords in poor shape after too many issues were left unresolved in the Commons. He contends that organisations ranging from medical royal colleges to disability groups believe the legislation lacks adequate protections. In his view, the real…

People in this episode

Host: Hansard Society

Guest: Lord Harper

Topics covered

• assisted dying
• legislation
• parliamentary process
• Committee debates
• vulnerable people
• healthcare policy

Keywords

• assisted dying
• Terminally Ill Adults Bill
• House of Lords
• Committee Stage
• legislation
• vulnerable people
• healthcare
• filibuster
• Lord Harper

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: House of Lords, NHS, Hansard Society, medical royal colleges, disability groups

Books & works: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Places: England, Wales

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