Assisted death: what you need to know if the UK parliament backs controversial laws

The UK parliament has backed a bill that would allow assisted dying. This marks the start of months of arguing over a possible change in the law that has divided the country and raised questions about the quality of palliative care.

MPs voted 330 to 275 in favor of legalized euthanasia in the first vote on the issue in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British parliament for almost a decade.

The outcome followed an emotionally charged debate that lasted almost five hours in a packed and silent hall, as competing demonstrators made their voices heard outside parliament.

What would the bill mean?

Assisting death currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Under the bill, terminally ill adults in England and Wales, who doctors say have six months or less to live, would have the right to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.

Under the proposals, two doctors and a High Court judge would have to verify that the person made the decision voluntarily. Pressuring or coercing someone to end their life could be punishable by up to fourteen years in prison.

Scotland is considering changing its own law to allow assisted dying, while there are no such proposals in Northern Ireland.

What do the supporters of the bill say?

The proposal has sparked a debate across Britain, with former prime ministers, faith leaders, doctors, judges, people with disabilities and ministers in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government weighing in on the subject.

Starmer voted in favor of the bill, although several leading members of his government voted against it.

Those in favor of the bill say it is about shortening the deaths of people who are terminally ill and giving them more control.

Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill, told the debate that changing the law would give terminally ill people “choice, autonomy and dignity at the end of their lives”.

A blonde woman speaks while surrounded by supporters.

British Labor MP Kim Leadbeater (centre) introduced the bill. Source: AAP, EPA / Neil Hall

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose Conservatives said he supported the bill because he believed it would reduce suffering.

Campaign group Dignity in Dying called the result a “historic step towards greater choice and protection for dying people”.

Broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and is leading the campaign for a change in the law, said she was “absolutely excited” even though she was unlikely to benefit from it.

She said she was “very moved by the various doctors who took part, who gave painful but important descriptions of the types of deaths people suffer, which even the best palliative care cannot alleviate”.

A group of people carrying pink and purple signs in support of assisted dying.

Campaign group Dignity in Dying called the result a “historic step”. Source: AAP, SIPA VS / Vuk Valcic / SOPA images

What are the concerns about the bill?

Opponents of the bill say vulnerable sick people could feel forced to end their lives, rather than making the decision for their own well-being.

Some MPs opposed to the bill said they feared it would discriminate against people with disabilities.

Opponents are also concerned that the UK’s healthcare system, the NHS, is not ready for such a game-changing change and that this could lead to a decline in investment in palliative care.

A group of people hold signs protesting assisted dying.

Opponents of the bill say vulnerable people could feel forced to end their lives. Source: AAP, AP / Alberto Pezzali

The Church of England’s lead bishop on health, Sarah Mullally, who had opposed the measure, said the vote “still leaves the question of how this can be implemented in an overburdened and underfunded NHS -, social care and legal system”.

Others expressed concern that there had not been enough time to consider the bill before it was voted on, highlighting concerns that safeguards in place in other places that allowed assisted dying have been weakened.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he voted against the bill because he believed politics should be about “extending life, not shortening it”.

A man in a white shirt, teal tie and dark blue suit talks in parliament. There are people behind him.

Conservative MP Danny Kruger, a leading opponent of the bill, argued that “true dignity is being cared for until the end.” Source: MONKEY / House of Commons/British Parliament/PA

“True dignity consists in being taken care of until the end,” said Conservative MP Danny Kruger, a leading opponent of the legislation, urging colleagues to reject what he called a “state suicide squad.”

What happens next?

The bill now moves to the next stage, where politicians can propose changes, a process that is likely to be contentious.

The bill could still be amended or even voted down as it makes its way through both the House of Commons and the unelected upper chamber of parliament, the House of Lords.

“It will be a very thorough process,” Leadbeater told the BBC, adding that the process could take another six months.

“There is still plenty of time to make this right,” she said after more than four hours of debate in Parliament.

“There will still be a chance to improve it if we can, and if we can’t then I hope we can turn it down,” Kruger told Sky News, adding that he believed it was “impossible to to write a bill. that’s safe.”

If ultimately passed, a change in the law is expected to take several years.

What are the assisted dying laws in Australia?

Voluntary assisted dying is currently legal and available in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. It is not yet legal in the Northern Territory or ACT.

There are strict criteria that determine who is eligible, and these vary slightly from country to country. Assisted dying is voluntary and can only be legally chosen by someone who is an adult and able to make the decision without pressure or coercion.

They must have an illness, disease or condition that causes suffering that they find unbearable, is advanced and is likely to result in death.

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