Kim Leadbeater and 6 pro-Bill MPs on the Committee have tabled 123 amendments. Concerned Committee MPs 88. This is a bad faith argument.
Amendments from across the House include those from 'Ayes' such as Tessa Munt, Wera Hobhouse, Brian Matthews, Claire Hazelgrove 1/
"consequentials" complicate a numbers game but this kind of assertion is very poor.
Would she rather not see amendments from @DamianHinds requiring specific guidance if a doctor suggests assisted suicide to someone who has Downs syndrome? 2/
Or @danfrancis02 raising concerns that a doctor might raise assisted suicide with someone under the age of 18 3/
Or @BrianMathewLD asking for a referral to be made to social workers to check for coercion and pressure 4/
Or @libdemdaisy amendment requiring a doctor to refer if they have any doubt as to a person's capacity 5/
Or @hbaldwin amendment to ensure that reasons for refusal by a doctor are communicated to the CMP and made available to the other doctors and to the Court 6/
This Bill is dealing with very complex matters. It will completely change our society. Report stage may be as little as 5 hours, only some amendments will be selected. This is the one chance MPs have to get this right 7/
More progress could have been made on the first two days of line-by-line scrutiny, but it was pro-bill MPs who moved to adjourn at 5pm.
This is more smoke and mirrors and it is not befitting legislation of this gravity. /end
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Sunday Times @doctor_oxford on “judge plus” panel:
It “is not a [multi disciplinary team], nor does it come close…no one on the panel knows the patient..scrutiny comes only at the end …not at the beginning, when a patient first asks…Yet this is a moment of peak vulnerability 1/4
“[require] MDT when a patient first asks for assisted dying. By pooling the collected expertise of those who know the patient — biologically, psychologically, socially — the MDT could genuinely minimise the risks of coercion” 2/4
“I cannot understand why this obvious safeguard — so vital for protecting vulnerable individuals — was not considered before the bill was drafted. This feels like rushed, slapdash, on-the-hoof legislation, and I believe my patients deserve better.” 3/4
🚨Palliative care doctors are anachronistic, 'guarding the pearly gates', controlling, and power hungry.
🚨 Disabled people's concerns dismissed with 34 words nullifying “self appointed spokespeople”.
#notnoise
Only other ref to disabled people is oblique re pandemic blanket DNACPRs making case for AS i.e. could have avoided, if agreed already
"If [those] already dying or frail or had underlying conditions understood the consequences of CPR they would be less likely to expect it"
They mention who the policy covered but do not appear to understand why those groups may be concerned now.
There is a casual dismissiveness to why somebody might want CPR: "Even if it is successful, for most people with an underlying condition it will only defer death by days"
PM appointed Commissioner - judge or ex-judge - main job (a) choose panels (b) pass on applications. Much of job can be delegated to staff. Up to 10 year paid gig.
Only gets involved again if panel says no. Not safeguard for vulnerable, but appeal route for determined 1/
Panels can be judge or ex-judge/KC, psychiatrist, social worker. No court powers. Procedure up to them. Can sit in private.
Only have to hear from 1 doctor. Do not have to hear from applicant. Can just hear from proxy 2/
Must assume capacity, if person meets criteria, they MUST approve
If the Panel is concerned by anything they hear or read they can do nothing if criteria met.
ONLY if panel reject application does the Commissioner get involved and then only on judicial review grounds 3/
The @thetimes: "whether you are for or against assisted dying, this is no way to legislate for what would represent one of the most profound changes in the relationship between the state and its citizens".
🧵on last two days and a very novel form of govt neutrality 1/
First a recap. Cabinet Office guidance says when govt takes a neutral stance on a PMB they should do an impact assessment.
Neutrality indicates that the Government is prepared to accept it reaching the statute books with ALL of the consequences. 2/
Yesterday, @NazShahBfd and @danny__kruger asked again why an impact assessment could not be provided, given that it would strengthen the Committee's ability to scrutinise the Bill.
The Minister gave - in my view - a novel response, which would not cut the mustard for a govt bill 3/
1. Complex issues being decided by non-experts, & govt hands-off approach leaves vulnerable over-looked
Daniel Francis on why MCA is a problem for those with learning disabilities. Minister says it's 'adequate legal base to operationalise' AD.
2. The two MP doctors' confidence in capacity assessments and judgement of doctors...
...met the lived experience of Daniel Francis advocating for those with learning disabilities, @mencap_charity, and young adults who would be reliant on doctors and the judge