MPs vote for bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales
GuardianDec 01
UK: Assisted Dying Bill Passes Second Reading in House of Commons
Above: Kim Leadbeater MP joins supporters of assisted dying outside Parliament as MPs in the House of Commons voted by a majority of 55 in favour of Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill during its Second Reading in London, United Kingdom on Nov. 29, 2024. Image copyright: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images
The Facts
The UK House of Commons voted 330 to 275 in favor of an assisted dying bill put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater during its second reading on Friday, marking the first parliamentary vote on the issue since being rejected in 2015.
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill would allow mentally competent adults with less than six months to live to request self-administered medical assistance in ending their lives, requiring approval from two doctors and a High Court judge.
The Spin
Progressive narrative
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill is a compassionate and overdue step forward, reflecting the will of the public after years of parliamentary hesitation. The 330-275 vote in favor acknowledges the right of individuals to make deeply personal choices about their own end-of-life care. Critics’ concerns about palliative care and societal pressures deserve attention but do not outweigh the importance of autonomy and dignity in facing terminal illness. This bill is a vital, humane advancement in British law.
Conservative narrative
The Assisted Dying Bill poses grave risks to society’s most vulnerable. It prioritizes the right to die over the right to live, especially in a country where social care is underfunded and many people struggle to meet basic needs. Evidence from Canada and the Netherlands shows how such laws expand, with people choosing death due to poverty or lack of care while many rightly fear coercion, abuse, and a shift in societal values. The focus must be on improving care, not facilitating death.
