It is rare for an amendment to a private member’s bill at the report stage to elbow its way into the headlines; but the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – commonly known as the assisted dying bill – is no routine piece of legislation.
It is, understandably, the most high-profile reform to be proposed in some decades – and it has provoked intense scrutiny. Few such matters considered by parliament touch the lives of people more profoundly. That is why this unexpected and significant alteration to the terms of assisted dying has caused such disquiet.
