UK gives first approval to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives

British MPs gave initial approval on Friday to a bill to help terminally ill adults in England and Wales end their lives after a heated parliamentary debate in which people shared their personal stories of loss and pain.

Lawmakers approved the assisted dying bill by a vote of 330 to 275. The vote marks approval in principle of the bill, which has been sent to Parliament for further scrutiny before going to a final vote.

Friday’s vote came after hours of sometimes emotional debate that touched on ethics, grief, law, faith, crime and money. There was none of the braying and shouting that characterize debates in the House of Commons, and speeches were considered respectfully and listened to quietly.

Supporters said the law would provide dignity to the dying and prevent unnecessary suffering, while also ensuring that those nearing the end of their lives have adequate safeguards to prevent them from being forced to end their own lives.

Opponents said this would put vulnerable people at risk of being forced, directly or indirectly, to end their lives to avoid becoming a burden.

The proposed bill would allow adults over the age of 18 who are expected to live less than six months to request and receive assistance to end their lives, subject to safeguards and protections.

They will need to be able to obtain the lethal drugs themselves, and two doctors and a Supreme Court judge will need to sign off on any decision. The bill will not apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Supporters of the bill told heartbreaking stories about constituents and family members suffering in the final months of their lives, and about dying people who secretly committed suicide because it is now a crime for anyone to provide assistance.

“Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about a choice between life or death, we’re talking about giving dying people a choice about how they die,” Kim Leadbeater, the bill’s primary sponsor, said as she introduced the bill to a packed audience. room

He acknowledged it wasn’t an easy decision for MPs, but said “if any of us want an easy life, he’s in the wrong place.”

Opponents spoke of the danger that vulnerable, elderly and disabled people could be forced to opt for assisted dying to save money or ease the burden on family members. Others have alternatively called for improved palliative care to relieve suffering.

Danny Kruger, who led the debate against the bill, warned MPs not to support a “government suicide service”. He argued that no measures could prevent many vulnerable people from feeling the pressure to demand their lives be ended.

Kruger expressed disappointment in the outcome but said there was a chance MPs would reject the bill when it comes back for a vote in the next few months. Many of those who voted in favor Friday said they did so simply because they wanted to further examine the details and might vote differently in the future.

“I still think we can stop this,” he said.

Although the bill was proposed by Leadbeater, a member of the ruling centre-left Labor Party, it was a clear vote, with alliances forged across the political divide.

The government is expected to present reviews over the next few months on how to fund assisted dying and how this will affect the UK’s state-funded public health service, hospice care and the legal system.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not show his hand before the vote but backed the amendment. Others in Cabinet voted against it, including Health Minister Wes Streeting and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood. Similar divisions occurred in other political parties.

Esther Rantzen, a long-time British campaigner who has terminal lung cancer and played a leading role in advocating for a vote on assisted dying, expressed her delight at the “fantastic” result and said it would give people an “equal choice”. “

Rantzen said that when he was diagnosed with his terminal illness, he would end his life by going to Switzerland, where the law allows assisted dying for those living abroad.

Hundreds of people from both sides of the issue gathered outside Parliament during the debate, and the vote result sparked cheers and hugs from supporters.

“It’s a relief, it’s history, we’re finally moving towards having a society that shows love and compassion beyond the need to keep people alive,” said Joshua Cook, 33, who has Huntington’s disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disease. illness.

Other countries that have legalized assisted suicide include Australia, Belgium, Canada, and parts of the United States; Regulations regarding who is eligible vary by jurisdiction.

Assisted suicide differs from euthanasia, which is permitted in the Netherlands and Canada and involves healthcare professionals administering a lethal injection at the patient’s request in certain cases.