Concern mounts over assisted suicide bill as safeguards rejected

The assisted suicide bill is becoming mired in confusion and growing fears as days of parliamentary scrutiny unfold, with Kim Leadbeater MP appearing muddled about her own proposals.

Leadbeater said from the start that her proposals for assisted dying will be “the safest in the world”. But days of debate at committee stage have prompted growing alarm that it could allow the terminally ill to choose to die because they feel a burden on their loved ones – financially or otherwise.

Christian MP Danny Kruger has persistently challenged Leadbeater whether someone who seeks assisted suicide, in the absence of coercion, to ease a financial burden on family members would be approved. She refused, at least four times, to give a clear answer.