On Friday, members of the House of Commons voted in favor of a bill that would give terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live the right to die with medical assistance under appropriate legislation.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill may now go through a lengthy process of amendment by the House of Lords before becoming law – after the bill received 330 votes in favor and 275 against.
MPs were deeply divided on the issue and had the right to vote freely without restriction across party lines. A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who voted in favor of the bill, said: “People across the country will be paying very close attention to today’s vote, but it is a matter of conscience.”
The law provides for a maximum prison sentence of 14 years for anyone who forces someone to take a lethal drug or requests an assisted dying.
“We’re not talking about a choice between life or death – we’re talking about giving people a choice about how to die,” Labor MP Kim Leadbeater told MPs during a five-hour debate in the Commons. Are doing.” The bill was introduced by Leadbeater as a private member’s bill. She has been actively campaigning on this issue for several weeks.
He has stressed that his bill contains the “strongest safeguards” compared to any assisted dying law anywhere in the world. The Bill includes approval of two independent doctors for the decision, followed by a High Court judge and the person concerned himself would have to be given the medicines.
The bill has also received some high-profile support – such as from former Prime Minister David Cameron who agrees that people who are in pain and facing imminent death should have the option of alleviating their pain. Should be.
However, there are some challenges surrounding the bill, such as the possibility of vulnerable people being forced to opt for assisted death.
British Indian Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst supported the bill and argued that people should have “access to the death they deserve”.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also voted in favor of the bill. Meanwhile Suella Braverman was among those voting in opposition.
