In a landmark decision for the United Kingdom, British lawmakers have voted in favor of a bill that will allow terminally ill adults to end their lives with assistance in England and Wales.
Friday’s decision came after an emotionally and impassioned debate that resulted in the bill passing by a vote of 330 to 275 in the House of Commons. Hundreds of people gathered outside Parliament during the debate.
The legislation, which is still to face further scrutiny in Parliament and possible amendments, would allow doctors to assist patients who have less than six months to live to end their lives.
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The vote signals lawmakers’ approval in principle for the bill after similar legislation failed to pass in 2015.
If made into law, the assisted dying bill would only apply to a small group of people within the U.K. Those who would be able to apply for assistance would need to be over 18 years old, diagnosed with a terminal illness, and have six months or less to live.
After applying, the patient would undergo multiple stages of approval from two doctors and a judge.
Supporters of assisted dying have insisted that it would allow dying patients to prevent any unnecessary suffering in the final months of their life.
“Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about a choice between life or death. We are talking about giving dying people a choice about how to die,” the bill’s main sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, said Friday.
She did note that backing the bill was not an easy decision for her colleagues but that “if any of us wanted an easy life, they’re in the wrong place.”
Meanwhile, opponents have said the bill would put vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, at risk of being coerced to end their lives to prevent being a burden on family members. Some critics have also said the bill would require new training within the country’s National Health Service, raising costs.
Danny Kruger, who led the opposition, said he believes Parliament can do “better” for terminally ill people than a “state suicide service” and that the role of legislatures is to offer safeguards for the most vulnerable.
“We are the safeguard, this place, this Parliament, you and me,” Kruger said. “We are the people who protect the most vulnerable in society from harm, and yet we stand on the brink of abandoning that role.”
Many critics of the bill have also accused the legislation of being a slippery slope to make it easier to end one’s life, as assisted dying numbers have increased worldwide.
The U.K. isn’t the only nation to approve action toward legalizing assisted suicide, following Australia, Belgium, Canada, and some parts of the United States.
A recent analysis by the Telegraph found that more than 30,000 people were helped by doctors to end their lives — doubling in the last five years. In some countries, assisted deaths make up large percentages of deaths overall. In the Netherlands, for example, the outlet estimated euthanasia deaths made up around one in 20 deaths in the country in 2023. Euthanasia has been legal in the European nation since 2002.
Nearby, Belgium has seen a spike of around 15% in death by euthanasia since 2022, when it was first legalized. Similarly, Canada has seen an increase of 4.6% in deaths by euthanasia since the law was first introduced in 2016.
Opponents of assisted dying have accused some nations of going too far in their programs or becoming “death tourism” destinations. Switzerland, for example, allows nonresidents to apply for assisted dying. The program has been utilized by many, including over 500 British residents.
Last month, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, called the bill “dangerous,” telling the BBC it “opens the way to it broadening out, such that people who are not in that situation [terminally ill] asking for this, or feeling pressured to ask for it.”
The archbishop indicated that the legislation may guilt terminally ill patients who already feel like a “burden” into taking actions to end their lives.
“Everyone, however useful they are, is of equal worth to society,” he said.
Other opponents, including Michael Shanks, a member of Parliament, believe the bill in its current form isn’t tight enough to prevent possible coercion or other risks for patients.
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“I am really concerned about legislation that isn’t watertight in terms of safeguards,” he said this month, adding that it could allow for the bill to be expanded in the future.
It is important to note that assisted suicide is not considered to be the same as euthanasia as any fatal drugs used in the process as self-administered. Euthanasia involves healthcare practitioners such as doctors administering a fatal drug at a patient’s request.
With additional reporting from the Associated Press.
