Tom Gordon MP did not press his amendment to a vote at today’s meeting of the Committee for the Assisted Dying Bill. Although a wise decision at the time (the amendment would probably have been lost on a vote), it is nonetheless a disappointment to those who suffer from neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinsons, Motor Neurone Disease and early forms of dementia.
The amendment sought to extend from six months to twelve the life expectancy qualification for such sufferers. It did attract some support from other members of the Committee and could possibly be revived at the Report Stage of the Bill or even at Third Reading. So far, however, all the pressure on the Committee has been to increase the level of safeguards rather than to reduce them. It seems to be getting harder all the time for people, however elderly or ill they might be, to reach the vital qualification point. No attention is being paid to the amount of time all this will take or how much it is going to cost.
A pity, of course, but the main substance of the Bill remains.
