MPs today voted in favor of the Assisted Dying Bill amid tense scenes in the House of Commons by a margin of 55 votes.
During the almost five-hour debate, the parliamentarians discussed the controversial measure that, according to opinion polls, has the majority support of public opinion.
The government has committed to making Labor MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill “workable” should MPs support the proposal, which they did this afternoon by 330 votes to 275.
The bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.
In her impassioned speech today in the House of Commons, Mrs Leadbeater said the debate on the issue was “long overdue” and, although it is not an easy issue, it is the task of MPs to “address the issues that matter to people.”
He told MPs that a more holistic view of care for the dying must be taken, saying: “This Bill will give society a much better approach towards the end of life.”
“We’re already seeing conversations about death and dying in a way that we haven’t seen, I think, enough in this country.”
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But opponents of the bill warned of the risks of providing a “suicide service” and raised concerns about coercion and who could be caught within the eligibility criteria.
Conservative MP Danny Kruger, the leading backbencher of the bill’s opponents, said he believed Parliament could do “better” for terminally ill people than a “state suicide service”.
He told the Commons: ‘We are the safeguard, this place, this Parliament, you and me. We are the people who protect society’s most vulnerable from harm, and yet we are about to abandon that role.’
He urged MPs not to vote “out of desperation”, arguing that the debate should be the start of a conversation “about dying well, where we have a better idea than a state suicide service”.
Sir Keir Starmer, who ultimately voted for the bill, refused to say how he would vote ahead of the split in the Commons, and Downing Street said “ministers must be able to vote according to their conscience”.
They added: “The Prime Minister has officially said that he is not going to say or do anything that would put pressure on other people regarding their vote.”
Deputies were free to vote, as assisted dying is considered a “matter of conscience”, similar to debates on issues such as abortion or the death penalty.
The bill will allow terminally ill people in England and Wales with less than six months to live to have the option to end their life at a time of their choosing.
Similar laws exist in countries such as Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several US states.
However, opponents of the bill have warned that the legislation could be “the thin end of the wedge,” citing Belgium, which has dramatically liberalized its assisted dying rules.