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On 15 November, Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill will have its second reading in the House of Lords, in what he has argued is a step towards the “UK’s next great social reform”.

Given the prime minister’s past support for assisted dying, as well as his commitment – reiterated after the general election – to let MPs vote based on conscience, rather than party line, it is perhaps more likely to succeed than any similar bills that have come before it.

As this issue rises up the political agenda, there is a pressing need to explore the complexity of how assisted dying could work in reality. Too often people are pushed towards picking one side or the other of the debate, with the discussion reduced to broad arguments of individual autonomy versus the risk of harm to the vulnerable. Less often explored is the uncertainty in implementing this kind of reform and the nuance in public opinion, as well as intricate issues around the nature of consent and how to best ensure patient safety.

Join the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group as we reveal findings from new polling and tease apart the principle from practice when it comes to the debate on assisted dying.

Speakers

• Anna Dixon, MP for Shipley
• Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London
• Professor Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon), Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers, and Professor of Practice at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
• Professor Gareth Owen, Professor of Psychological Medicine, Ethics and Law, King's College London (chair)
• Professor Katherine Sleeman, Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London
• Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge
• Sonia Sodha, Chief Leader Writer and Columnist, The Observer