The Foetal Sentience Committee Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Moylan (Conservative). The bill would require the secretary of state to establish a Foetal Sentience Committee.
Foetal Sentience Committee Bill [HL] (304 KB , PDF)
The Foetal Sentience Committee Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Moylan (Conservative). It is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 22 March 2024.
The bill would require the secretary of state to establish a Foetal Sentience Committee. The committee’s purpose would be to provide evidence-based, scientific expertise on the sentience of the human foetus in light of developments in scientific and medical knowledge. It would advise the government on the formulation of relevant policy and legislation. The bill would require the secretary of state to respond to the committee’s advice on formulating relevant policy or legislation.
There are ongoing scientific, medical and ethical debates about foetal sentience and foetal pain and the implications for issues such as pain relief for the foetus during in utero surgery and the law and practice around abortion. Expert views have differed regarding at what stage of development a foetus can feel pain.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published a review in December 2022 which concluded that “evidence indicates that the possibility of pain perception before 28 weeks of gestation is unlikely”. The government has tended to refer to an earlier RCOG review carried out in 2010 when responding to parliamentary questions about foetal sentience and foetal pain. It does not appear to have commented on the latest RCOG review.
Foetal Sentience Committee Bill [HL] (304 KB , PDF)
The government recently announced an independent review of physician and anaesthesia associates to be led by Professor Gillian Leng. This announcement followed a debate about the use of the roles in the NHS and concerns raised by some stakeholders about patient safety. The review has been widely welcomed by stakeholders as a way to move the debate forward.
Fracture liaison services proactively identify people at risk of fractures caused by osteoporosis. Patients can then be assessed and treated to prevent future fractures. The provision of fracture liaison services in England has been called a ‘postcode lottery’ by the Royal Osteoporosis Society, and evidence shows variation in quality and reach. The government has committed to 100% coverage by 2030.
The Mental Health Bill [HL] is a government bill that would amend the Mental Health Act 1983. The 1983 act is the current legislation that regulates the compulsory detention and treatment of those with a mental disorder in England and Wales. There have long been calls to update the legislation, and in 2017 there was an independent review of the Mental Health Act. In 2022 the previous Conservative government published a draft Mental Health Bill. The current bill is similar (but not identical) to the draft bill and it would implement many of the recommendations of the 2017 independent review. Changes proposed in the bill include tightening the detention criteria in the 1983 act and providing for more frequents reviews; limiting the period that people with autism or a learning disability can be detained; and removing prisons and police stations as “places of safety” in the act. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, the bill’s provisions, and the differences from the 2022 draft bill.
![Mental Health Bill [HL]: HL Bill 47 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Health-568x426.png)