Dear
SPUC supporter,
,

SPUC’s National Conference is underway! I’ve been hiding away from delegates watching the second day of debate at Second Reading of the assisted suicide bill in the House of Lords, and wanted to send you a quick update.

As expected, as it is the convention in the Lords, the Bill passed its Second Reading without a vote, and will now pass to Committee stage. This should not be taken as an indication that the Lords support the Bill – as with the first day of debate last week, a majority of peers spoke against it today.

Another development is that an amendment tabled by Labour peer Baroness Berger, setting up a separate select committee to hear evidence from experts, was approved, again without a vote. This is good news, as we know that the more scrutiny this bill receives, the more uncomfortable people are with it. Across the two days of debate, it has been striking how many peers found problems with the provisions in this particular Bill, even if they were sympathetic to the principle.

It was also striking that the proponents of the Bill, lead by Lord Falconer, felt forced to compromise and agree to Baroness Berger’s select committee. At the beginning of the week, Dignity in Dying was slamming it as a “wrecking amendment” and urging peers to reject it. One wonders why they are afraid to hear from experts in the field.

Another sign that the Bill’s proponents are feeling nervous is that Lord Forsyth, a supporter of assisted suicide, withdrew his amendment that would have granted Government time to the Bill.

As with last week, there were some excellent speeches. It was moving to see Lord Mackinlay, who had to have all of his limbs amputated after contracting sepsis, stand up and say that he prefers to celebrate life over death. He was one of several peers to point out the preferential treatment that this Bill seems to have received from the Government.

Again, as with last week, the other side showed their true colours. Lord Brooke appeared to advocate using assisted dying as a form of population control ([link removed]) , celebrating that the growth of abortion, contraception and homosexuality has lowered the population.

This was another encouraging day, with 44 speeches against to 24 in favour. The Bill’s sponsors are clearly not confident. There’s a long way to go, but we can be pleased with how proceedings have gone so far in the Lords. Your letters have been making a real difference. Do keep them coming as the Bill proceeds to Committee stage!

with best wishes,
Alithea Williams
Public Policy Manager
Write to Lords ([link removed])
PS: Please send any replies you get from peers to me – it’s really useful intelligence.
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