Terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months would be able to request assistance to end their own life, under proposed legislation for England and Wales to be debated by MPs later this month.
Under a bill published on Monday, two independent doctors would have to be satisfied someone is eligible and has made their decision voluntarily.
Requests would also have to be approved by a High Court judge.
The bill would require those who apply for assisted dying to:
- Be over the age of 18, a resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months
- Have the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their life
- Express a "clear, settled and informed" wish, free from coercion or pressure, at every stage of the process
There must be a seven-day gap between two doctors’ evaluations and a further 14 days after a judge's ruling before a person could be assisted to die, except when the person's death is expected imminently.
The individual would be allowed to change their mind at any time, and no doctors would be obliged to take part in the process.
The law would still forbid doctors or others from ending a person’s life. If all the criteria and safeguards are met, the substance to end someone's life must be self-administered.
Under the bill, a doctor may only prepare the substance or assist the individual to ingest.