TERMINALLY ill adults are set to be given the legal right to end their lives after MPs passed landmark assisted dying laws in a knife-edge final vote.
The historic decision paves the way for the biggest shake-up in end-of-life care in decades after weeks of furious lobbying on both sides.
Esther Rantzen – who is battling stage 4 cancer – is among those supporting the bill[/caption]
MP Kim Leadbeater (left) listens to campaigner and cancer sufferer Sophie Blake speaking in the Houses of Parliament[/caption]
The Bill now moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law.
Overall, there were 314 votes for the bill opposed to 291 against, giving a majority of 23 in favour of the legislation.
The bill would mean adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live will be allowed to apply for a medically assisted death, under strict safeguards.
And comes after a campaign of support, including from TV personalities Dame Esther Rantzen, 84, who is battling stage four lung cancer, and terminally ill Sophie Blake, 52.
What Happens Next?
– With the Commons backing the Bill, it now moves to the House of Lords for detailed debate and scrutiny.
– Peers can suggest amendments, which would send the Bill back to the Commons — a process known as “ping pong”.
– But because this is a major conscience issue, the unelected Lords are unlikely to block it outright after it passed the elected House.
– Supporters hope it will win final approval and receive Royal Assent by October, officially becoming law.
– A four-year implementation period will follow, allowing time to establish the new system, including expert panels and regulatory safeguards.
Dame Esther said the terminally ill are “truly voiceless” and face an “agonising death” – adding: “This is a crucial debate for the truly voiceless.”
She went on to say: “They are the terminally ill adults for whom life has become unbearable and who need assistance, not to shorten their lives but to shorten an agonising death – and their loved ones who under the current law will be accused of committing a crime if they try to assist or even stay alongside to say goodbye.”
Sophie said: “This is not about wanting to die, but to be able to live the rest of my life with the peace and comfort of having choice.
“I have come to terms with the fact that my life has been shortened, and I do not fear death, but I do fear how I’ll die.”
‘Correct the profound injustices’
Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, who brought forward the Bill, called it a “compassionate and safe choice” and said it would “correct the profound injustices of the status quo”.
The new law means adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live will be allowed to apply for a medically assisted death, under strict safeguards.
Applications will need the approval of two doctors and a new expert panel made up of a legal figure, psychiatrist and social worker — a key change from the original plan which required sign-off from a High Court judge.
The final vote passed after fierce debate and a string of last-minute amendments.
Ms Leadbeater warned in the chamber that rejecting the Bill would not be a neutral act, but “a vote for the status quo”.
Conservative MP Sir James Cleverly, opposing the move, pushed back on claims it was now or never, telling MPs: “There will be plenty of opportunities.”
MPs accepted an amendment ruling out eligibility for anyone seeking to die solely due to stopping eating or drinking — with Ms Leadbeater stressing it would exclude those with eating disorders.
Another amendment requiring ministers to assess the impact on palliative care within a year also passed, with charity Marie Curie warning this alone would not “make the improvements needed” in end-of-life care.
Campaigners on both sides gathered outside Parliament, with signs reading “Let us choose” and “Don’t make doctors killers”.
Polling published ahead of the vote showed 73 per cent of Brits still support legalising assisted dying – the same figure as in November’s second reading.
Dame Esther’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox joins campaigners from the group Dignity In Dying[/caption]
