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The UK moved closer to legalizing assisted dying after Parliament approved a bill allowing terminally ill adults to end their lives. The House of Commons vote was 330 to 275, sending the bill to further parliamentary review before a final vote.
The legislation would permit adults over 18 with a life expectancy under six months to request assistance in dying, with safeguards to prevent coercion.
The vote followed a passionate debate featuring personal accounts of suffering and loss. The discussion, attracting large crowds outside Parliament, covered ethical, legal, religious, and financial implications.
Despite the controversy, polls indicate majority British support for assisted dying.
Euthanasia or assisted dying is already legal in several European countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Portugal, and in ten U.S. states: Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, Maine, New Jersey, Hawaii and Washington. Switzerland legalized assisted dying in 1941.
Proponents argue the law offers dying individuals dignity and prevents needless suffering while maintaining protections against coercion.
Opponents, including religious leaders, express concern that vulnerable individuals could be pressured into ending their lives.
The proposal requires verification from two doctors and a High Court judge that the decision is voluntary. Coercion would carry a 14-year prison sentence.
“We’re not talking about a choice between life or death, but giving dying people a choice about how to die,” stated the bill’s sponsor, Kim Leadbeater.
She anticipates a second vote in approximately six months, following a thorough committee review process with a two-year implementation period.
Further assessment will focus on funding, the impact on the NHS, hospice care, and the legal system.
MP Danny Kruger voiced concerns about potential loopholes and insufficient safeguards.
He expressed hope for strengthening the bill or its defeat at the final reading.
The Prime Minister allowed MPs a free vote on the bill. While some cabinet members, including the Health Secretary and the Justice Minister, voted against it, others voted in favor.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, opposed the bill, citing concerns about its potential scope and the risk of a “right to die” becoming an “obligation to die.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.Â
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