England's Chief Medical Officer has warned that assisted dying legislation must not become so complex that only wealthy people with lawyers can access it. Professor Sir Chris Whitty told a Lords select committee that people «of all walks of life who are capable of taking the fundamental decision should be able to navigate the process subsequently».
The warning came as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill faces wider scrutiny in the House of Lords next week. The proposed law would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months to live to seek assistance to end their lives, requiring approval from two doctors and an expert panel.
Whitty emphasized the stakes for vulnerable patients. «It is important that if this is passed, we don't have a situation where the rules are so complex that only people who can afford a good lawyer…are able to get through the process», he told the committee during Wednesday's evidence session.
Parliament urged to resist bureaucracy
The chief medical officer warned against excessive regulation. «I think that it is always tempting to try and deal with problems by layering layer upon layer of complex bureaucracy on top of one another», he said. «And I would hope that if this is passed, Parliament will resist that temptation.»
Whitty argued the best regulations «are ones that are simple and are clear». He stressed the law must be «clear enough and simple enough» for patients to understand «in the last six months of their life, at a point when they are going to be under stress for many other reasons».
Separate service recommended
The chief medical officer said it would be «a mistake» to combine palliative care and assisted dying into one service. Medical professionals should «not feel under any obligation» to participate in assisted dying, he told peers. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has stated it cannot support the bill in its current form, citing concerns about safeguarding individuals with mental illness. The bill returns to the Lords on November 14.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
