Campaigners have voiced alarm over the membership of a new House of Lords committee set up to examine the government’s assisted dying proposals, after it emerged that not a single disabled person has been appointed to serve on it.
The 13-member committee will scrutinise the safeguards and procedures in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted suicide in the UK for the first time. It is chaired by Lord Hope and includes Baroness Berger, Baroness Scotland, Lord Winston, and Baroness Sherlock for Labour; Lord Markham, Baroness Fink, and Lord Lansley for the Conservatives; Lord Clement-Jones and Baroness Smith for the Liberal Democrats; Baroness Finlay, Lord Alton, and Lord Pannick from the crossbenches; and the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome.
The absence of disabled peers has sparked strong criticism from disability rights groups and opponents of the bill, who argue that those most affected by assisted dying laws are being side-lined from the decision-making process. Phil Friend of Not Dead Yet UK, a grassroots campaign group, described the situation as “deeply worrying”, warning that without lived experience on the committee, there is a real risk of overlooking the subtle pressures and coercion vulnerable people face. “Disabled people must be included in shaping any discussion of a law that could so profoundly affect our lives,” he said.
The concerns are heightened by the fact that about two-thirds of peers who spoke during the bill’s second reading last month voiced opposition to the proposals in their current form. Many warned that legalising assisted dying would fundamentally alter the way society views vulnerable people, particularly the elderly and disabled, and could increase the pressure on those who already feel like a burden to their families or the state. Critics say the lack of disabled representation on the committee sends a troubling signal that such voices are considered less relevant, despite being central to the ethical debate.
Some have defended the composition of the committee. Baroness Grey-Thompson, a crossbench peer and one of the most prominent disabled opponents of assisted dying, explained that she had deliberately chosen not to seek a place on the committee so she could focus on tabling amendments to the bill. She added that she trusted many of the members to understand the issues and would instead scrutinise the evidence sessions closely to ensure disabled people’s perspectives are heard.
The controversy comes amid wider unease about how the bill is being advanced. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, its proponent in the House of Commons, has faced criticism on social media in the last few days for attending both hospice support and suicide prevention events while promoting her Bill which, as Baroness May pointed out, would amend suicide legislation.
SPUC believes her actions are ignorant and inconsistent, and that the taking of life is always wrong. Equally, the elimination of disabled voices from the Lords committee is emblematic of a wider problem: that the people whose lives and dignity are most directly at stake are often the least consulted. This must change.
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