Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

On 16 October, Kim Leadbeater, supported by a number of other MPs, presented the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (a ballot bill under SO No. 57): “A Bill to allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards, to be assisted to end their own life; and for connected purposes”. The Bill was read the first time, ordered to be read a second time on Friday 29 November and to be printed. We will post a link when the Bill appears.

Ahead of the Bill, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement warning against legally-assisted suicide. Links to materials on earlier debates and other issues are here, and in April 2024 the House of Commons Library produced a briefing on the law of assisting suicide in England and Wales. It examines recent parliamentary activity, developments in other legal jurisdictions, human rights challenges, and stakeholders’ views.

Prospect has published an edited transcript of a discussion on assisted dying between Rowan Williams and Brenda Hale, here.

Section 2(2) Forfeiture Act 1982

The case of Philip Morris v James Morris, Kate Shmuel and Gregory White [2024] EWHC 2554 (Ch), summarized by Rosalind English of 1 Crown Office Row, concerned the forfeiture rule under section 2(2) of the Forfeiture Act 1982 as it applies to the estates of people who travel to Switzerland for assisted dying. She comments: Continue reading →