LONDON (AP) — British 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 — 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.
The previous effort to back the legislation was effectively filibustered by unelected lawmakers in the revising House of Lords chamber, who blocked the will of elected members.
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 in the bill, assisted dying would not be available across the two nations until 2031 at the earliest.
The vote is expected to be tight. While the bill passed two votes in the House of Commons in 2024 and 2025, the second vote saw the majority in favor narrow to 23 from 55. The government is taking a neutral stance on the bill, saying it is a matter of conscience for individual lawmakers.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was not even in Parliament at the time of the previous two votes, has already said he will not 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 bill.
Lauren Edwards, the lawmaker steering the bill in the House of Commons, urged her fellow members of Parliament to send the revised but near-identical bill back to the House of Lords “so that they can finish what they started” in scrutinizing the legislation.
“We did ours," she said.
She said lawmakers are being asked to consider “who ultimately decides the laws that govern our nations” — a reference to the fact the House of Lords is an unelected chamber.
Proponents of what has been termed “ 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 their concerns around potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities.
“I have to be honest with you," said lawmaker and cancer surgeon Zubir Ahmed. “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 as there will be a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.
