Speeches by Kruger.

“I am afraid the situation is even worse, because the fact is that under the Bill they will not be liable for mistakes made in pursuit of the scheme set out in the Bill. They will be exempt. They are indemnified against civil liabilities for malpractice in the course of their job. It is only guidance, and GMC guidance s…”

“The hon. Gentleman is praying in aid the General Medical Council as if it is some sort of effective backstop. He says that the guidance does not need to be in the Bill because it is there hovering over doctors anyway, but the Bill makes explicit reference to GMC guidance—some of it is in there. If he objects to our sug…”

“I take that point; families are difficult to define. Nevertheless, the Bill currently refers to the opportunity for a doctor, or the suggestion that a doctor, “in so far as the assessing doctor considers it appropriate, advise the person to consider discussing the request with their next of kin and other persons they a…”

“I am grateful to you, Mr Dowd, but I want to explain why these amendments are appropriate to the Bill. The patient would have the opportunity to declare clearly that they do not have a family. I take the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for North West Hampshire; it is not always clear what a family is. Nev…”

“I was not asking for cases in which it might be the right choice for somebody—I recognise the argument there. I am asking when it might be appropriate for a doctor to suggest it. In the case of the Malone family, if this law had been enforced, they would have requested it themselves. Again, I want to know under what ci…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for setting it out so clearly, but I would like a little more clarity because I do not fully understand. My understanding from the Bill is that at the moment of the administration of the fatal drugs—the final act, as it is called—the administering doctor has to be confident of capacity. …”

“I am not talking about the withdrawal of treatment, which I recognise is covered by the same legal framework—particularly the Mental Capacity Act—as other healthcare interventions, because that concerns the withdrawal of a healthcare intervention. Is it the Government’s view that the administration of assisted dying un…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for highlighting that. I disagree with the BMA—I think that its idea of balance is actually an incoherence in the Bill. I note that the BMA elsewhere has suggested that assisted dying should not be regarded as a normal healthcare option or treatment. It is itself a victim of the confusi…”

“You are absolutely right, Mrs Harris; I am inviting her hon. Lady to intervene as she wishes to, but I recognise she does not have to do that at all.”

“I will certainly give way in a moment. An enormous number of people will be dragged into the scope of the Bill by suggestions being made to the vulnerable people that we are concerned about. I really do invite her to answer this as honestly as she can; does she not accept that being given this option by a doctor—given …”

“On the suggestion that people will not know that this option is on the table, who are we talking about in those circumstances? I suggest we would be talking about people who are extremely marginalised, and I would be very concerned about a doctor suggesting an option to them. There may be a tiny number of people who wo…”

“That is absolutely right. Either this is a medical treatment—in which it should be obligatory for a doctor presented with a patient who qualifies under the Bill and has the symptoms that we are talking about to say, “By the way, there is also this option”, which is what I think my right hon. Friend the Member for North…”

“I recognise that it is an attempt to give maximum leeway to doctors. I think that is dangerous and puts doctors in a very difficult position. The BMA made the point that it is appropriate to enable doctors to raise this option as if it were just another treatment, even though it has also said it is not just another tre…”

“I think my hon. Friend is suggesting that a doctor should suggest assisted dying as an option in every case, because if he is suggesting that a reasonable patient would want to know this towards the end of their life, he is saying that every dying patient should be told, “What about assisted dying?” That is a very conc…”

“I recognise that, but I repeat that by offering antidepressants, he is suggesting to his patients that it may well be the right thing for them to do. He puts in front of his patients a menu of options, with a degree of advice according to his expertise, but if assisted dying is on the menu, that is because assisted dyi…”

“I am absolutely sure that is right, and I am grateful to the hon. Lady for making that important point. For anybody, but particularly for the vulnerable and those in distress, as people are towards the end of their life, for those who have had a terrible diagnosis, and for those who feel a burden and recognise that the…”

“Certainly, there are adverse consequences for all sorts of treatments, but putting assisted dying on the table and making it clear that this is an option for the patient can only be done, morally and legally, if the doctor thinks that it may be an appropriate treatment or intervention for the patient. Otherwise, if we …”

“Indeed, it is not a recommendation; but in laying out this option for the patient, the doctor is clearly communicating that it might be the right thing for the patient to do and that it might address their needs. If the suggestion is that they are making a suggestion that might not be good for the patient, then that is…”

“This is an important debate to have, because the clear implication of a doctor making a recommendation is that this option would be good for the patient. It is one of many—”

“I hope that the hon. Member is not suggesting that all 600 would be averted by the Bill. He might be right that some would be, and I recognise that. However, the purpose of amendment 270 is to ensure that people who might be suicidal receive an assessment, whether they are inclined to apply for assisted death, if it is…”