Sir Chris Whitty gives key warning to MPs on assisted dying
Sir Chris Whitty gives key warning to MPs on assisted dying
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Sir Chris Whitty has warned MPs not to rush in new assisted dying laws. England's chief medical officer also urged them not to over-complicate safeguarding measures when drawing up landmark legislation. MPs are currently scrutinising the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would give people the right to end their lives if medics think they have six months or less to live.
He said he and the UK's other chief medical officers are "completely neutral" on assisted dying. Sir Chris said that if Parliament backs the Bill, it must be written in a way that ensures terminally ill people are not "stuck in a bureaucratic thicket".
He told them: "We do need to keep this simple. And my view is the best safeguards are simple safeguards. So over-complicating actually usually makes a safeguard less certain, to be honest.". The Bill, put forward by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, would require two doctors and a High Court judge to approve someone ending their life. Ms Leadbeater has estimated it would take around two years to come into effect.
Sir Chris described this as a "reasonable starting point", adding: "So personally, I would rather this wasn't running against a timeline." He also urged MPs not to be too prescriptive, saying: "If safeguards are really clear and simple, everybody understands them.".
He said it would be "extremely difficult" to draw up a list of specified illnesses. Next month a panel of MPs will begin line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill, with a large amount of written evidence so far put forward to be considered. It will return to the Commons later this year for a crucial vote, and will also have to get the approval of the House of Lords before it can be made into law.
