Voices: Has the assisted dying bill lost its safeguards? Join The Independent Debate

Campaigners including actress Liz Carr and Baroness Grey-Thompson outside the Houses of Parliament - (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

With MPs due to cast their final votes this Friday, the assisted dying bill – spearheaded by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater – has been reshaped in ways that continue to sharply divide opinion.

The headline change has removed the requirement for a High Court judge to approve every assisted‑dying request. In its place, Ms Leadbeater has proposed a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commission, chaired by a senior judge (or former judge) and supported by consultant psychiatrists and social workers.

Supporters have argued that what Ms Leaderbeater calls a “Judge Plus” model will speed up decisions and add specialist expertise, while retaining a judicial anchor.

Critics – including Diane Abbott and former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron – have warned that stripping out full High Court oversight makes the safeguards too weak and could endanger vulnerable people.

Other amendments will require the doctors assessing assisted dying requests to have detailed training on domestic abuse, including coercive control and financial abuse, and reasonable adjustments and safeguards for autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

With just 28 MPs needed to defeat it, many who supported the bill at earlier stages – citing the High Court safeguard – may now withdraw.

Several MPs who previously abstained have also decided to vote against it, among them Lee Anderson and his former Reform UK colleague Rupert Lowe, who have publicly stated they will change their vote.

Come Friday, Parliament must decide: does Leadbeater’s revised framework protect patients sufficiently, or has it sacrificed essential safeguards for the sake of expediency?

We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts on the assisted dying bill in the comments and vote in the poll below – we’ll feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days.

All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.

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