UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill in historic step
Britain's parliament took a historic step towards allowing euthanasia on Friday when MPs backed contentious legislation that would introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people.
Lawmakers in the lower House of Commons chamber voted 314 in favour to 291 to send the proposal to the upper House of Lords for further scrutiny following four hours of emotional debate.
The outcome sparked celebrations among supporters gathered outside parliament who say legalised euthanasia will give people with an incurable illness dignity and choice at the end of their lives.
But opponents attending a neighbouring counter-protest said they feared vulnerable people could be coerced into dying and urged lawmakers to focus on improving palliative care instead.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults who have been given less than six months to live.
They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts.
A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands.
- 'Heartbreaking stories' -
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the legislation, told Friday's so-called third reading debate that a law change would "offer a compassionate and safe choice" for terminally ill people.
She said maintaining the status quo would mean more "heartbreaking stories" of "pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to Switzerland, (and) police investigations".
But Vicky Foxcroft, also of Labour, said the proposal did not include adequate safeguards for disabled people.
"We have to protect those people who are susceptible to coercion, who already feel like society doesn't value them, who often feel like a burden to the state, society and their family," she pleaded.
Outside parliament, protesters waved placards with slogans including "Let us choose" and "Don't make doctors killers".
David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life.
"That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing," he told AFP.
But Elizabeth Burden, a 52-year-old doctor, said she feared the legislation would open "slippery slope" where those eligible for assisted dying expands.
"Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable," she told AFP.
- Public support -
MPs in the 650-seat parliament backed an earlier version of the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in parliament last November, a larger majority than Friday's 23.
Since then the bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on adverts for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life.
MPs added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible "solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking", ruling out people with anorexia.
Britain's medical community and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's top ministerial team are split on the proposed law change. Starmer voted in favour, while his health and justice secretaries opposed it.
But in a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed last month and published Thursday, 73 percent or respondents backed an assisted dying law.
"Change is coming," hailed Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the Dignity in Dying campaign group.
But Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK insisted the bill "still faces an uphill battle" to get through the Lords and her opposition campaign group "will be fighting it at every stage" to prevent it becoming law.
The House of Lords now needs to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely in the autumn, or the bill will fail.
If it passes and receives royal assent, it would still be four years before an assisted dying service was implemented.
A government impact assessment published this month estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade.
Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish parliament.
At the end of March, the Isle of Man became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill.
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill in historic step
Britain's parliament took a historic step towards allowing euthanasia on Friday when MPs backed contentious legislation that would introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people. Lawmakers in the lower House of Commons chamber voted 314 in favour to 291 to send the proposal to the upper House of Lords for further scrutiny following four hours of emotional debate. The outcome sparked celebrations among supporters gathered outside parliament who say legalised euthanasia will give people with an incurable illness dignity and choice at the end of their lives. But opponents attending a neighbouring counter-protest said they feared vulnerable people could be coerced into dying and urged lawmakers to focus on improving palliative care instead. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults who have been given less than six months to live. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. - 'Heartbreaking stories' - Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who proposed the legislation, told Friday's so-called third reading debate that a law change would "offer a compassionate and safe choice" for terminally ill people. She said maintaining the status quo would mean more "heartbreaking stories" of "pain and trauma, suicide attempts, PTSD, lonely trips to Switzerland, (and) police investigations". But Vicky Foxcroft, also of Labour, said the proposal did not include adequate safeguards for disabled people. "We have to protect those people who are susceptible to coercion, who already feel like society doesn't value them, who often feel like a burden to the state, society and their family," she pleaded. Outside parliament, protesters waved placards with slogans including "Let us choose" and "Don't make doctors killers". David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. "That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing," he told AFP. But Elizabeth Burden, a 52-year-old doctor, said she feared the legislation would open "slippery slope" where those eligible for assisted dying expands. "Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable," she told AFP. - Public support - MPs in the 650-seat parliament backed an earlier version of the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in parliament last November, a larger majority than Friday's 23. Since then the bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on adverts for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible "solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking", ruling out people with anorexia. Britain's medical community and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's top ministerial team are split on the proposed law change. Starmer voted in favour, while his health and justice secretaries opposed it. But in a YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed last month and published Thursday, 73 percent or respondents backed an assisted dying law. "Change is coming," hailed Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the Dignity in Dying campaign group. But Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK insisted the bill "still faces an uphill battle" to get through the Lords and her opposition campaign group "will be fighting it at every stage" to prevent it becoming law. The House of Lords now needs to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely in the autumn, or the bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, it would still be four years before an assisted dying service was implemented. A government impact assessment published this month estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish parliament. At the end of March, the Isle of Man became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
British MPs vote in favour or legalising assisted dying
Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour. In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down. The Labour MP who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. Those in favour chanted "my decision, my choice", holding up posters that said "my life, my death" and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain. Those against the legislation held up placards that said "let's care not kill" and "kill the bill not the ill". Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour. In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down. The Labour MP who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. Those in favour chanted "my decision, my choice", holding up posters that said "my life, my death" and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain. Those against the legislation held up placards that said "let's care not kill" and "kill the bill not the ill". Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour. In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down. The Labour MP who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. Those in favour chanted "my decision, my choice", holding up posters that said "my life, my death" and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain. Those against the legislation held up placards that said "let's care not kill" and "kill the bill not the ill". Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour. In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down. The Labour MP who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. Those in favour chanted "my decision, my choice", holding up posters that said "my life, my death" and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain. Those against the legislation held up placards that said "let's care not kill" and "kill the bill not the ill". Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Kate breaks silence after abruptly cancelling Ascot appearance
IN LONDON The Princess of Wales has released a heartfelt statement just days after pulling out of Royal Ascot at the last minute. Kate, 43, released a personal note on Friday, UK, speaking about the life-changing work of children's hospices. Royal-watchers were left disappointed earlier this week after it emerged that she'd had to cancel her scheduled appearance in the royal carriage procession alongside the King, Queen and Prince William at the iconic raceground, after also missing it last year due to her cancer treatment. In her statement on Friday, which was shared in honour of the UK's Children's Hospice Week, the princess expressed her gratitude for the vital care provided by those working with sick children. 'No parent expects to hear that their child has a serious health condition that could shorten their life,' Kate wrote. 'Sadly, this is the reality faced by thousands of families across the country, leaving them heartbroken, fearful of the future and often desperately isolated. 'Being able to access the support of one of the UK's 54 children's hospices means they don't have to face that future alone.' The princess has been Royal Patron of East Anglia Children's Hospices for more than a decade, and this year also became the Royal Patron of TÅ· Hafan Children's Hospice in South Wales. 'As Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices and TÅ· Hafan Children's Hospice in South Wales, I have the immense privilege of seeing for myself the extraordinary work of our children's hospices,' she said. 'Lifting spirits through laughter, fun and play, as well as listening, holding, caring and sharing, they support children and families through life, death and beyond. 'This Children's Hospice Week, I hope you will join me in celebrating the life-changing work they do and thanking them for the vital care they provide to children and families experiencing the most challenging times.' Despite being on a positive trajectory since announcing her gradual return to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy, there were concerns on Wednesday when Kate pulled out of the racing event at the last minute. She had already been listed to travel in the second carriage of the royal procession, alongside her husband. However, a short time later it was confirmed by Kensington Palace that Kate would not be attending, with local media reporting she was 'disappointed' but was having to 'find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements'. It came after a busy week for the Princess of Wales, who attended a series of events including Trooping the Colour, in the days leading up to Ascot. Back in January, she revealed she was in remission from cancer, which she had first publicly disclosed last March. Last September, she released an emotional video message, featuring personal footage of herself with William and their three children, opening up about the challenges they'd all been privately battling – but also proudly announced she had completed her treatment.
