A bill to legalize assisted dying for people who are terminally ill has received a narrow majority in the British parliament, marking a significant step in social reform’s history.
The legislation cleared its biggest parliamentary hurdle with a vote of 314-291 on Friday in the House of Commons, which will now face months of scrutiny in the House of Lords, the country’s upper chamber.
The Lords may decide to consider further amendments as a result of the process, but the upper house is typically reluctant to veto legislation that has been approved by elected members of parliament in the Commons.
After many hours of heated discussion in the chamber, which included references to personal accounts, Friday’s vote took place. Following a vote in November that had essentially approved the legislation, it came.
Prior to that, the House of Commons voted against legalizing assisted dying in 2015.
The assisted dying bill contains what exactly?
The “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” Bill grants to mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales the option to end their lives with medical care.
After receiving a recommendation from doctors, a panel consisting of a social worker, a senior legal figure, and a psychiatrist, patients will be required to be able to take fatal drugs on their own.
A healthcare professional or another person administers a lethal injection at a patient’s request in contrast to euthanasia, which is different.
A person who assists a terminally ill person in ending their life may face a police investigation, a prosecution, and a maximum prison sentence of up to 14 years in accordance with current law.
The original draft of the new bill was modified to include the creation of a disability advisory board and the appointment of independent advocates to assist those who have learning disabilities, autism, or other mental health conditions.
Logistics must still be considered, including whether the practice or any of the services that support it would be integrated into the National Health Service (NHS) or operated as a separate entity provided by third parties.
Northern Ireland and Scotland, both of which are holding their own votes on the issue, will not be affected by the bill.
What justifications exist for assisted dying?
People with terminal diagnoses, who have a choice between reducing or not reducing their suffering, will be given dignity and compassion, according to those who support the bill.
The bill’s author, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, claimed that people with terminal illnesses should have access to the same rights that give women the ability to choose an abortion.
She said, “I will fight for the rights of dying people as much as I will fight for the rights of disabled people to be treated better by society.”
While the wealthy can travel abroad to access the services, according to some bill-proponents, the current law discriminates against the poor, who could face legal punishment for helping their loved ones pass away.
Peter Bedford, a Conservative MP, objected to this perception. At least one British person travels to Switzerland for an assisted death every week for £12, 000 ($16, 100),” he said. This bill is about shortening death, not shortening life.
Maureen Burke, a Labour MP, mentioned the pancreatic cancer that her brother David had. She said, “He could never have known that I would ever have the chance to stand in this place and ask my coworkers to help him avoid what he went through.” By speaking here today, I have done my brother a favor.
According to opinion polls, the majority of Britons support assisted dying. The vote, according to Sarah Wootton, CEO of the UK-based Dignity in Dying campaign, “sent a clear message” and that “parliament stands with the public and change is coming”
Although there is no set date for the bill’s implementation, implementation must begin within the first four years of its passage, according to the legislation.
What are opponents’ opinions?
Opponents worry that those who are vulnerable could be forced to end their lives or feel pressured to do so out of fear of burdening their families and society.
As the vote was scheduled for Friday, protesters rallied outside parliament and erected banners to urge politicians to abstain from the state-run health service, the NHS, as the “National Suicide Service.”
Following the initial vote last year, several MPs withdrew their support for the bill, claiming safeguards had been weakened. The removal of the requirement that a judge approve any decision was one of the most significant changes to the bill from November last. The most recent vote was cast with a majority of 23 votes, which was a decrease from the 55 majority (330 to 275 votes) in November.
The bill was “deeply flawed and dangerous,” according to Care Not Killing, an organization that opposes the law change, and argued that politicians weren’t given enough time to consider its implications.
“Over 130 amendments to the bill, or less than five minutes per change, were discussed by members of Parliament in less than 10 hours.” Does anyone believe that this is the ideal time to change a draft law’s literal definition of “life and death”? Gordon Macdonald, the group’s CEO, said.
Opponents also raised questions about how assisted dying might affect the state-run NHS’ finances, whether it might be able to halt requests to fund palliative care improvements, and how it might affect the relationship between doctors and patients.
Tanni Grey-Thompson, a disabled MP and paralympic medallist, is one of the legislation’s staunch opponents. She claimed in an interview with Sky News that no one should experience a “terrible death” without receiving specialist palliative care.
Because of the cost of health and social care, “I’m really worried that disabled people have no other choice but to end their lives,” she said.
Where else is legalized assisted dying?
In a number of nations, assisted dying laws have been passed. According to Dignity in Dying, about 300 million people worldwide have legal access to this option.
The Isle of Man became the first country in the British Isles to pass an assisted dying law that allows terminally ill people with a 12-month or less prognosis to choose to end their lives in March.
In 1942, Switzerland became the first nation in the world to allow assisted dying with the condition that the end goal isn’t selfish.
There is some legalized assisted dying practiced in Europe, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, and Austria.
The practice is known as “physician-assisted dying” and is permitted in ten states in the United States, while it has been legal in every state since 2022 in Australia.
Ecuador opted to decriminalise euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2024, while Colombia legalized euthanasia for terminally ill adult patients in Latin America in 2014.
One of the world’s most tolerant assisted dying systems is found in Canada. In 2016, it introduced MAID, or Medical Assistance for Adults with Terminal Illness. The requirement of having a terminal illness was eliminated in 2021, and it is now weighing whether to also accept those with mental illnesses.
Which other nations are considering making it legal?
In Scotland, a bill regulating assisted dying is being considered. It received its initial approval in May, but before it can become law, it will require two more parliamentary scrutiny rounds.
A bill that would allow some people who are in the final stages of terminal illness to access assisted dying has been supported by French President Emmanuel Macron. The Senate will now read that before the lower house, following a second reading that the National Assembly approved in May.
Source: Aljazeera
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