UK lawmakers vote down bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales
LONDON (AP) — U.K. lawmakers on Friday voted down legislation to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was opposed by 286 members of parliament, while 270 voted for it.
Friday’s vote brings an end to a two-year debate in Parliament about assisted dying.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
LONDON (AP) — U.K. lawmakers will vote again on Friday on whether to back legislation to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has returned to the House of Commons after running out of time when the last parliamentary session ended in the spring — that effort was effectively filibustered by unelected lawmakers in the House of Lords chamber.
Each five-year parliamentary term is subdivided into a number of sessions of the government’s calling, and bills can only become law if they are discussed and voted on within a single session by both houses of parliament.
The bill proposes allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel. Because of the four-year implementation period, assisted dying wouldn't be available across England and Wales until 2031 at the earliest.
The vote is expected to be tight. While the previous incarnation of the bill was twice backed in the House of Commons, the second saw the majority narrow to 23 from 55. The government is taking a neutral stance, saying it's a matter of conscience, meaning Labour Party lawmakers can vote freely.
The new U.K. leader, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, wasn't even in Parliament during those votes. Burnham has said he won't vote on the bill so as not to “unduly influence the debate." His predecessor, Keir Starmer, who has left Parliament, was in favor of the proposed legislation.
Lauren Edwards, the lawmaker steering the bill in the House of Commons, urged her fellow members of Parliament to send the near-identical bill back to the House of Lords “so that they can finish what they started” in scrutinizing the legislation.
Supporters have suggested a rarely used piece of legislation could be invoked to pass the bill this time around, if it ends up being stalled again by the House of Lords. The Parliament Acts allow for bills that have been backed by the House of Commons in two successive sessions, but rejected by the House of Lords, to pass into law without from approval by the Lords.
Proponents of “ assisted dying ” — sometimes referred to as “assisted suicide” — hope it would mark the biggest change to social policy in the U.K. since abortion was partially legalized in 1967. The intention was to put an end to the practice of those near the end of their lives going to other countries, such as Switzerland, for an assisted death.
Opponents have branded the bill unsafe and unworkable, citing concerns around potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities.
Lawmaker and cancer surgeon Dr. Zubir Ahmed also noted uncertainty around a doctor’s prognosis.
“I have to be honest with you," he said. “When I am asked to prognosticate as to whether someone has six months to live or not, I am as often wrong as I am right.”
Assisted suicide — where patients take a lethal drink prescribed by a doctor — is legal in countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and parts of the U.S., with regulations on qualifying criteria varying by jurisdiction.
In July, French lawmakers backed a similar bill to allow adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. However, it hasn't become law, because there will be a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.