Britain’s parliament has taken a significant step towards legalizing assisted dying, with lawmakers voting in favor of a bill that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical help. The vote, which saw 314 lawmakers in favor and 291 against, clears the biggest parliamentary hurdle for the legislation. The bill, known as the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” law, would apply to mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live.
The legislation would allow these individuals to choose to end their lives with medical assistance, providing them with dignity and compassion in their final days. Supporters of the bill argue that it will give terminally ill people the autonomy to make choices about their own lives and deaths. Campaigners in favor of the bill gathered outside parliament, chanting “my decision, my choice” and holding up posters that read “my life, my death.”
However, opponents of the bill expressed concerns that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. They argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society. Some lawmakers withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, citing weakened safeguards. Demonstrators against the bill held up placards that read “let’s care not kill” and “kill the bill not the ill.”
The bill’s proposer, Labour lawmaker Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. The bill requires a judgment by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure, and a psychiatrist, rather than court approval. Leadbeater emphasized that the legislation would provide terminally ill people with dignity and compassion in their final days.
The vote follows hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. The bill now proceeds to Britain’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government was neutral on the legislation, allowing politicians to vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously expressed his support for assisted dying. The bill’s passage marks a significant shift in Britain’s approach to end-of-life care and would put the country in line with other nations that have legalized assisted dying, including Australia and Canada.