MPs vote for bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales
GuardianDec 07, 2024
The House of Commons voted 330 to 275 in favor of an assisted dying bill put forwards by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater during its second reading this 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 legislation includes a mandatory 14-day reflection period and a maximum 14-year prison sentence for anyone who coerces someone into requesting assisted dying.
The currentTerminally lawIll Adults (End of Life) Bill is failinga terminallycompassionate illand peopleoverdue bystep forcingforward, themreflecting tothe experiencewill unnecessaryof sufferingthe orpublic travelafter abroadyears forof assistance,parliamentary whilehesitation. The 330-275 vote in favor acknowledges the proposedright legislationof offersindividuals essentialto safeguardsmake deeply personal choices about their own end-of-life care. Critics’ concerns about palliative care and protectionssocietal topressures givedeserve dyingattention peoplebut choice,do not outweigh the importance of autonomy, and dignity in theirfacing finalterminal daysillness. This bill is a vital, humane advancement in British law.
The billAssisted Dying Bill poses significantgrave risks to society’s most vulnerable. individualsIt whoprioritizes mightthe feelright pressured to enddie theirover livesthe dueright to beinglive, especially in a burden,country whilewhere thesocial proposedcare safeguardsis areunderfunded inadequateand many people struggle to meet basic needs. Evidence from Canada and the legislationNetherlands isshows beinghow rushedsuch throughlaws withoutexpand, properwith considerationpeople choosing death due to poverty or lack of itscare implicationswhile many rightly fear coercion, abuse, and a shift in societal values. The focus must be on improving care, not facilitating death.