COMPANIES offering assisted dying services will be blocked from advertising following a vote in the House of Commons, if legislation to legalise the practice is passed in the UK.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returned for further debate on Friday (June 13) and West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin worked with the Bill’s sponsor Kim Leadbeater MP to add a clause preventing potential providers from advertising services.
Dame Harriett spoke in the debate warning of the prospect of companies advertising assisted dying alongside funeral director and life insurance adverts.
The amendment will mean advertising of services would be prohibited similar to the banning of tobacco product advertising which came into force in 2002.
The amended version of the Bill will have further debate and a vote on Friday (June 20).
Dame Harriett said: “I remain implacably opposed to this Bill as the harms that could arise if our society and our imperfect State are given permission to help people kill themselves but if this legislation does move forward, I want to ensure the people who offer these services cannot advertise them on television or online to elderly and vulnerable people.
“The principal preventing advertising had wide support across all parties and I was pleased the clause has now been added to the Bill.
“I still plan to vote against the Bill when it returns to the House of Commons later this week.
“I remain hopeful this Bill is the trigger to an important national conversation about how we fund and deliver much better palliative care, and I repeat my public support for the amazing work our hospices do helping patients and their loved ones through terminal illness.”
