Speeches by Kruger.

“I rise to speak in support of my amendments 480 and new clause 22, and amendments 483, 484 and 441, tabled by the hon. Member for York Central. The conscience clause that is provided for in clause 23 is too narrow in two respects: first, in who it covers, and secondly, in what it protects. I will start with the issue o…”

“My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I support the distinction between self-administration and euthanasia. I am in favour of all possible safeguards and every possible opportunity to give the patient the chance to step back from the brink. The point I am making is that I do not recognise the logic of the distincti…”

“I am very pleased to hear it. I thank the hon. Lady for that. That helps me because I was perplexed about the difference. It is good to hear from her that there is no particular group of professionals who she thinks should not be included in the conscience clause. It is good to hear that she agrees with that. I would b…”

“Those are the sorts of circumstances in which I envisage an occupier—namely, the manager or the organisation that provides the home—being entitled to state that assisted dying does not take place on their premises. I recognise that that is a challenge for individuals living there, but it is explicitly because they are …”

“Not really. It is within the rights of managers—particularly hotel managers or people who host a bed and breakfast—not to admit prostitution on their premises, even if it is legal. Although it is illegal to discriminate against particular groups, it is legal for the occupiers of premises, in certain circumstances, to d…”

“Let me come on to that, because I am not aware of any evidence from Dignitas that disputes the assertion that is being made—certainly none that would meet the concerns raised by the genuine evidence of the effect of pentobarbital on death row patients. Again, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I do not…”

“I am afraid that is right—I am not going to pretend otherwise. I recognise that, in those circumstances, it would be distressing for the individual who lives in the care home either not to have this new treatment—this service—or to go elsewhere to have it. I recognise that that would be an imposition on and an inconven…”

“Yes, I do acknowledge the problem with that. My expectation would be—thinking about this in real human terms—that if somebody wanted an assisted death, and they wanted to do it in a particular care home, that would be a conversation they would have with the care home operator. The care home operator might have an absol…”

“I will give way to my right hon. Friend, but I want to invite Committee members to recognise or consider evidence that I have heard, from the settings where assisted deaths take place in other countries, of the genuinely disturbing impact that an assisted death has on everybody involved, even those people who support t…”

“I am absolutely certain that if the amendment had been in the original Bill, the Bill would not have passed Second Reading, because it would have validated the argument that many of us made that the implication of assisted suicide is euthanasia. The distinction between them, while valid in the abstract, does not apply …”

“I am sorry; I was going to give way to my right hon. Friend.”

“I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s concern about my experience on social media. I referenced prostitution because he, or another Member, asked me in what circumstances it might be acceptable for an owner or occupier of a premises to specify activity that may or may not—”

“I absolutely recognise that the hon. Lady has every intention of insisting that the system works well, that doctors do their job and that good record keeping happens. My concern throughout has been that we have not been robust enough in ensuring that all of that happens. A huge amount of faith is being placed in the go…”

“It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Lady; I very much agree with her points. I also pay tribute to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who spoke with his now customary intellectual clarity and moral constituency. He believes in autonomy, and he is doing what he can to resolve the essential contradiction in…”

“Okay. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Spen Valley, if so. I regret it, because I think amendment 411 had a good suggestion. It would have been my preference if we were just amending the provision, although removing the whole question of a proxy might be the safest thing. Nevertheless, if we are proceeding with the…”

“Well, I think prostitution is actually legal; it is the soliciting of it that is illegal—but others can correct me. The only thing that an owner or occupier of a premises is not allowed to forbid is activity that is covered by the Equality Act 2010 or other equality laws. There is nothing in the Equality Act or other l…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention, because that is exactly the sort of organisation that I would expect to have an objection to assisted dying taking place in its premises. He invites us to consider the alternative to the amendment, which is that there should be an obligation on a care home provider to f…”

“The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We have heard so many professionals convey their concerns about the Bill. The majority of medical professionals who work with the dying—care workers, palliative care specialists and hospice staff— oppose assisted dying, and it is not right to ask them to take a job knowing that they m…”

“On the hon. Lady’s first point, about the gardener refusing to mow the lawn, the activities that an individual will be allowed to opt out of are clearly specified in the amendment and they are the activities covered under the Bill. It is not about unrelated activities connected with the premises but the provision of as…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I was simply asking what causes him to object to physician-administered assistance to die. If he supports the principle of assisted suicide and believes in doctor autonomy, why does he not think that doctors should be able to administer the fatal dose?”