Will's response to constituents who have gotten in touch about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ahead of its 3rd reading in Parliament.
Will has responded to many constituents who have gotten in touch with him over the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ahead of its 3rd reading in Parliament.
This is what he wrote:
Thank you for contacting me about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
As I reported back to you before, I voted in favour of the bill at Second Reading in November 2024. Since then, the bill has been in committee. I just wanted to update you on it’s progress as I think it is very important to keep you all updated, at every step, where I can, on such a big issue.
On the 26th March 2025, the bill concluded its Committee Stage. Over the course of more than 90 hours of debate, nearly 600 amendments were proposed and considered, and 150 were accepted – including over 30 tabled by MPs who opposed the Bill at Second Reading. The committee has worked hard to scrutinise the bill line by line, reflecting the significance and sensitivity of the subject.
Throughout, MPs have listened to a wide range of views - from experts, campaigners, and those with lived experience. Whatever our individual positions, there was strong agreement across the committee that we must do better for those at the end of life.
Key changes made at committee include:
- A new judge-led commission and multidisciplinary panels, adding further expertise to ensure a terminally ill person’s decision is their own, free of coercion or pressure . The committee accepted Kim Leadbeater's amendment to establish a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commission, chaired by a High Court judge or retired judge, to oversee applications. Panels will include a senior lawyer (who could also be a High Court judge), psychiatrist, and social worker – ensuring that each case is reviewed with the appropriate depth and expertise.
- Mandatory training to recognise coercion will now mandatory for doctors and all professionals who sit on the panel.
- The bill now explicitly requires that patients must be informed of their full end of life options, including palliative and hospice care. It guarantees multiple opportunities for reflection and the right to change their mind at any point.
- The bill increases protections for all terminally ill adults, including disabled people. There will be a new Disability Advisory Board to ensure that the impact of the bill on disabled people is robustly and regularly monitored, and independent advocates to support people with learning disabilities, people with mental health disorders and autistic people, to understand their options and navigate end of life decisions.
The bill will now come back to the House of Commons for its Report Stage in the coming weeks. An updated version of the bill will be published shortly and you can find all the updates related to the bill here.
The committee has done the job the House asked of it - scrutinising the detail and responding to concerns. I understand that the committee believes the bill is now more robust, offering greater protections for the most vulnerable while providing a clear, humane framework for end-of-life decisions.
Thank you for your interest in assisted dying, it is a debate that is more enhanced, the more people engage with and take part in.
Kind regards,
Will
Will Forster MP