Please note, this page contains discussions around death and dying.
This page sets out Beat’s position on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often known as the Assisted Dying Bill, which is progressing through the UK Parliament. A separate Bill which would legalise assisted dying in Scotland is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament. We will continue to update this page in line with any future developments.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often known as the Assisted Dying Bill, is a proposed law that would allow mentally competent adults in England and Wales who are terminally ill, with a life expectancy of six months or less, to choose help from a doctor to end their life. It sets out safeguards, including medical checks, assessments of mental capacity, and protections against pressure or coercion.
The Bill is intended to only apply to people with irreversible illnesses - those that have no chance of recovering - and doesn't include disability or mental illness on its own. It hasn't yet become law and must be fully approved by the UK Parliament.
The Bill is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords. At this stage, Peers are considering the Bill line by line and debating proposed amendments. A large number of amendments have been tabled, and under House of Lords procedures these are typically debated in detail. As a result, the Bill’s progress has been slower than in the House of Commons.
On 6 February 2026, the House of Lords agreed a number of changes to the Assisted Dying Bill aimed at better protecting people with eating disorders. Peers agreed an amendment which clarifies that someone should not be considered “terminally ill” under the Bill if their physical health has deteriorated as a result of problems with eating or drinking linked to a mental illness. This amendment is intended to prevent people with anorexia from being treated as eligible for assisted dying.
A further clarification was also agreed to ensure this safeguard applies whether someone stops or limits eating and drinking because of their illness or by choice. This was designed to prevent individuals from deliberately stopping eating or drinking in order to become eligible for assisted dying.
While these changes represent a positive step, they do not fully address all the risks for people with eating disorders. During the debate, Peers raised ongoing concerns about conditions such as bulimia and type 1 diabetes with an eating disorder, where serious physical harm can arise through behaviours such as purging or insulin manipulation rather than restricting food or fluids. These risks are not covered by the new wording.
The Bill remains under debate in the House of Lords and may continue to change. The current parliamentary session is expected to conclude with the King’s Speech in May 2026. If the Bill does not complete all its remaining stages and receive Royal Assent before then, it will fall and would need to be reintroduced in a future session in order to progress further.
There has also been speculation about the possible use of the Parliament Act 1911, which can, in limited circumstances, allow legislation passed by the House of Commons to become law without the consent of the House of Lords. This process has not been initiated, and no decision has been made on whether it will be used in relation to this Bill. At present, the Bill remains under detailed scrutiny in the House of Lords, and its future progress before the end of the session is uncertain.
Our position on the Bill remains unchanged. The safety of anyone affected by an eating disorder is our top priority, and any method used to progress the Bill must ensure that our community is not placed at risk. While important amendments have been secured, we remain deeply concerned about the Bill as it currently stands and the risks it poses for people with eating disorders.
Follow the Bill’s progress here.
Before a Bill comes into law in England and Wales, MPs and Peers have the opportunity to propose changes to it, called amendments. Right now, there are some amendments being discussed which might help to protect people with eating disorders – but we don’t yet know if these will make it into the Bill’s final state.
Read the Institute for Government’s guide to amendments here.
If the UK Parliament agrees to the Assisted Dying Bill, it won't come into effect straight away and could take up to four years to put the new system in place. This is because a number of steps would be needed, including creating new safeguards, setting up the oversight process and training professionals.
How long this takes will depend on how quickly the House of Lords deals with the Bill, if it chooses to pass it at all. If it is approved, it's likely that the earliest a terminally ill adult in England or Wales could legally access an assisted death would be late 2029.
If the Bill becomes law, Parliament would still be able to amend it in the future. Laws can be updated or strengthened if problems become clear or if further safeguards are needed. Regular reviews are also written into the Bill so that Parliament can monitor how the law is working and make changes if required.
Find out how Bills become law here.
We remain deeply concerned about the Assisted Dying Bill as it currently stands. While recent amendments agreed in the House of Lords represent an important step forward in closing the so-called “anorexia loophole”, significant risks for people with eating disorders still remain.
As originally drafted, the Bill risked allowing someone with an eating disorder to be considered “terminally ill”, not because their illness is genuinely untreatable, but because their physical health has deteriorated due to gaps in the treatment and support they should have received. We welcome the progress made in clarifying that deterioration caused by problems with eating or drinking linked to mental illness should not make someone eligible for assisted dying.
However, these safeguards do not yet go far enough. Serious physical harm can arise in conditions such as bulimia and type 1 diabetes with an eating disorder through behaviours such as purging or insulin manipulation, rather than through restricting food or fluids. These risks are not covered by the current wording of the amendments, leaving some people with eating disorders without adequate protection.
Eating disorders are not terminal illnesses and they should never be treated as such. Recovery is always possible. During the most severe stages of an eating disorder, the illness can significantly affect how someone perceives their health, their future, and the value of their life. This makes robust and comprehensive safeguards essential to ensure people receive care, treatment, and protection at their most vulnerable.
The Bill is still changing. More than 900 amendments have been proposed, and it may continue to evolve over the coming months, or it may not pass at all. At this stage, it is not possible to know what the final version will look like.
Our priority is to ensure that the Bill remains as safe as possible for people affected by eating disorders. If the Bill is to pass, it is vital that strong and comprehensive safeguards are in place to protect everyone at risk. We will continue to engage closely as the Bill progresses, scrutinise further changes, and assess the final version carefully.
The safety of our community remains our number one priority, and we will strongly oppose any legislation that risks putting people with eating disorders in harm’s way.
We understand that waiting for Government decisions can feel unsettling, especially around serious issues such as assisted dying.
We’re here for you – please reach out to our Helpline or support services if you need us.