Liz Truss' Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill

[SoupDragonsFriend]

The document for Friday's Private Member's Bill debate (assuming it happens) is now on the website.
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-04/0035/240035.pdf

I think I cross-posted this with @Justme56 on the other Liz Truss thread. I started a new thread just in case it made sense to have any discussion about the bill separately but I can ask MN to delete it if that is easier. Anyone?

Keep this thread is my vote - but the Bill has disappeared from the linked web page.

I think it is worth having to draw attention to but .... the link now doesn't seem to be working which is was when I first saw it about 5 minutes ago!

Or is it just me?

No the link's just vanished. I do have a copy of the text that a friend sent me a bit earlier today but I can't work out how to post it on here - too long and too much formatting. This is the parliament page the pdf was downloaded from: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3560/publications
EDITED to say. It's back up. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-04/0035/230035.pdf

I've read the bill and it goes a long way to solving a lot of the issues that we are seeing now with the lack of clarity around definitions in law. Courts are hamstrung by laws and guidance that, at the time they were written, assumed that the definition of a woman was always a biological woman.

I just wish it wasn't Liz Truss proposing it and worry that who she is will prevent MPs supporting the bill. Evidence that even a stopped clock is right twice a day!

(Anyway, I've written to my MP to ask him to vote for it!)

Does it stand a chance of passing, do we think?

Does it stand a chance of passing, do we think?

No - partly because it is listed as the 3rd to be discussed and as we know at these private members bills sitting more than likely someone will talk out the time. Or Crispin Blunt will turn up and make problems as he did the the conversion therapys private bill.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/03/02/crispin-blunt-transgender-vote-commons-rape-allegation/

Well, the provisions certainly are as advertised.

I wonder why the drafters didn't stick to sex registered at birth for the definitions of male/man and female/woman in the Equality Act?

I also don't understand the second statutory defence to the offence of prescribing -

(a) before the start of that course of treatment, the child had obtained and taken such medicinal products without the consent or connivance of a health care professional, and
(b) it would have been clinically inappropriate to not prescribe, administer or supply the medicinal product to the child.
Is that saying that it's ok to continue to prescribe to a child if they've already started taking hormones etc on their own or their parents' initiative and they need to stay on thedrugs for some medical reason? Can anyone explain?

And it appears there is no sanction for the public authority if the Secretary of State declines to tell it to discharge its duty.

I like what's in it, but it needs a bit of work.

It is possible that the clause b) it would have been clinically inappropriate to not prescribe, administer or supply the medicinal product to the child. is a reference to using puberty blockers in the treatment of precocious puberty.

Does it stand a chance of passing, do we think?

I don’t know enough about these things to comment and I see a PP has said no. I prefer to be a bit more hopeful!

Sex Matters are asking people to write to their MPs here, which I figure is worth a go

https://sex-matters.org/take-action/urgent-ask-your-mp-to-support-the-bill/

It doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.

www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/guides/private-members-bill-procedure-in-the-house-of-commons#second-reading

Looks good.

@JanesLittleGirl thanks for that useful info re process etc.

I'm still supporting the Bill and the discussion it has created is no bad thing. We don't know for sure what the bigger picture is within government and what ground might be being prepared.