Lord Falconer said in the House of Lords that pregnancy should not prevent a woman from receiving lethal drugs to end her life under the United Kingdom’s proposed assisted dying legislation, as peers debated amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
During committee stage scrutiny, a peer raised concerns about how other jurisdictions handle assisted dying in cases involving pregnancy, citing differing approaches in Oregon and the Netherlands. In Oregon, the law requires efforts to keep the mother alive if a fetus is viable, while Dutch practice has involved terminating the fetus prior to euthanasia.
Lord Falconer responded by saying that the approach he supports would not treat pregnancy as a bar to assisted dying. “It is clear from the choice that I am supporting that we take the view that pregnancy should not be a bar to it,” he said, while noting that medical assessments would still apply to pregnant and non-pregnant patients alike.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal across the UK under existing law, including the Suicide Act of 1961, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. However, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill, has passed key votes in 2024 and 2025 and would legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less, subject to court and medical oversight.
The bill returned to the House of Lords earlier this month for committee stage scrutiny. Right To Life UK said an analysis of the session showed 47 amendments were debated over four hours and 40 minutes, giving each amendment an average of just under six minutes of discussion.
Despite this, supporters of assisted suicide, including Lord Falconer and Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, signed a letter urging peers not to delay the bill, arguing that the final decision should rest with the House of Commons. Several constitutional experts rejected that claim, noting the bill is neither a government bill nor a manifesto commitment.
During committee stage scrutiny, a peer raised concerns about how other jurisdictions handle assisted dying in cases involving pregnancy, citing differing approaches in Oregon and the Netherlands. In Oregon, the law requires efforts to keep the mother alive if a fetus is viable, while Dutch practice has involved terminating the fetus prior to euthanasia.
Lord Falconer responded by saying that the approach he supports would not treat pregnancy as a bar to assisted dying. “It is clear from the choice that I am supporting that we take the view that pregnancy should not be a bar to it,” he said, while noting that medical assessments would still apply to pregnant and non-pregnant patients alike.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal across the UK under existing law, including the Suicide Act of 1961, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. However, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill, has passed key votes in 2024 and 2025 and would legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less, subject to court and medical oversight.
The bill returned to the House of Lords earlier this month for committee stage scrutiny. Right To Life UK said an analysis of the session showed 47 amendments were debated over four hours and 40 minutes, giving each amendment an average of just under six minutes of discussion.
Despite this, supporters of assisted suicide, including Lord Falconer and Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, signed a letter urging peers not to delay the bill, arguing that the final decision should rest with the House of Commons. Several constitutional experts rejected that claim, noting the bill is neither a government bill nor a manifesto commitment.
