Assisted dying is currently on the agenda in the UK, as a private member's bill enters Parliament. But with legislation comes a moral debate: should the state be involved in easing the passing of the sick? And, if so, what should the conditions be? What guardrails can be put in place to ensure that what ought to be about mercy doesn't become the subject of abuse? To discuss this difficult topic and the impact that the contemporary political push could have on the Parky community, the Movers & Shakers are joined in the pub by Lord Falconer, whose bill in the House of Lords has set out many of the expected parameters of this new attempt to change the law.
By Podot
Each week Rory Cellan-Jones guides us between the laughs and moans in the pub. To read Rory's summary of this week's episode click here.
UPDATE: Click on the below to download the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
UPDATE: Click on the below to download the following piece "Assisted Death: A Person with Parkinson's Perspective" by Sir Nicholas Mostyn
Guest Biography
Charles Leslie Falconer, Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Born in Edinburgh in 1951, Charles Leslie Falconer was a British politician whose term as Lord Chancellor (2003–07) was marked by reform of the legal system of the United Kingdom. Educated at Trinity College, Glenalmond in Scotland, he studied law at Queens’ College, Cambridge. As a boy, he made the acquaintance of Tony Blair, the future Prime Minister and by 1976 they were both working alongside one another as barristers, also becoming active in the local branch of the Labour Party. Falconer continued to pursue a successful legal career as a commercial lawyer and was appointed as Queen's Counsel at the age of 40. He attempted to run for Parliament ahead of the 1997 general election but was unsuccessful. Once Labour returned to power, Prime Minister Tony Blair arranged for a life peerage for Falconer and appointed him solicitor general. He entered Cabinet Office as housing minister in 2001 and minister for criminal justice from 2002-03. In June 2003 he was made Lord Chancellor.
Throughout his time as the last Lord Chancellor as well as the first Constitutional Affairs Secretary, Falconer oversaw a number of reforms including the creation of a new Supreme Court. He also dealt with the interpretation of the Human Rights Act with regard to the treatment of those suspected of terrorist activities. In May 2007, Falconer became secretary of state for justice and was replaced by Jack Straw a month later with the appointment of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister. Later, Lord Falconer served as shadow spokesman for Constitutional and Deputy Priministerial Issues (2011–15), shadow Lord Chancellor and shadow Secretary of State for Justice (2015–16). In 2019 he was appointed shadow spokesman for Justice and shadow Attorney General under conservative rule until 2021.
Taken from Britannica.
Click here for the full biography.
Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill (HL)
Read the full Private Members' Bill here
Behind the Scenes...
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