National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that responsibility for legislating to allow assisted dying is not devolved to Wales as it is currently a matter governed by criminal law.

2. Notes that if assisted dying were to be legalised, and given its responsibility for health and social care, the Welsh Government would require an in-depth understanding of any proposals.

3. Believes that adults of sound mind who are intolerably suffering from an incurable, physical condition and have a clear and settled wish to die should have the option of an assisted death, subject to robust safeguards.

4. Notes that a recent inquiry by the Westminster Health and Social Care Committee found that the introduction of assisted dying has been linked with an improvement in palliative care in several jurisdictions.

5. Notes that the Office of Health Economics found that even if they received the best possible palliative medicine, in England and Wales at least 5,000 per year would die without any effective pain relief in their final month.

6. Notes that public attitudes towards assisted dying have changed, with up to 88% of the public favouring a change in the law.

7. More than one suffering person a week from the UK now chooses to end their life at one of the Swiss end-of-life centres, yet many others who would choose the same cannot afford the high costs involved, often well over £10,000.

8. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) support the principles of assisted dying; and

b) support Westminster parliament to introduce a compassionate assisted dying law in England and Wales.