Welsh doctors and nurses reject the effort to push euthenasia on their people. More than 250 health care professionals have called on MSs to deny legislative consent to Westminster’s assisted suicide Bill.
In an open letter to Senedd members organised by campaign group Our Duty of Care, signatories warned that Kim Leadbeater MP’s Bill would impose assisted suicide on the nation’s devolved healthcare system.
The Legislative Consent debate is scheduled to take place on the 24 February. According to convention, the Senedd’s consent is required for a UK Bill to be implemented on a devolved issue. In 2024, members of the Welsh Parliament refused to endorse a motion backing assisted suicide by 26 votes to 19, while there were nine abstentions.
Doctors, nurses and other health practitioners said: “We know that care provision currently fails too many, but this Bill is not the answer.”
They highlighted the Bill’s failure “to recognise the risks from mistaken diagnosis or misinformation”, to “assess suicidality”, to provide adequate oversight and “independent scrutiny”, and to protect vulnerable patients from coercion.
The signatories asked: “Will the Senedd concur with UK Parliament providing patients the means to take their own lives when we know they will not get a hospice bed or meaningful counselling?”
“We urge the Senedd to decline legislative consent connected to this deeply flawed Bill.”