British Lawmakers Set to Decide on Assisted Dying
A passionate debate is underway in the British Parliament as lawmakers are set to decide on a contentious proposal to legalize assisted dying, a move that would make the UK one of a small handful of nations to allow terminally ill people to end their lives.
The proposal, backed by the governing Labour party, seeks to allow individuals with a terminal condition and fewer than six months to live to take a substance to end their lives, provided they are capable of making the decision themselves and two doctors and a High Court judge agree to their choice.
Opponents, including Conservative MP Danny Kruger, have branded the bill “too big” and “too flawed” to pass, citing concerns over the bill’s safeguards and the lack of time to consider its fine print. Some have also raised concerns that the bill puts pressure on patients to opt for assisted death to avoid becoming a burden on their families.
Proponents of the bill, including Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, have argued that the current law is “not fit for purpose” and drives people to “desperate measures.” They believe the bill will bring dignity to terminal patients, averting months of suffering and physical decline, and easing pressure on the country’s palliative care services.
The vote, which is expected to be a free vote, is the culmination of a lengthy and occasionally painful debate in the country, which has seen high-profile figures dealing with terminal diagnoses become standard-bearers for the cause. According to an open letter to MPs from Esther Rantzen, a BBC TV presenter with advanced lung cancer, the current criminal law offers individuals facing an agonizing death only two choices: suffering or suicide.
The vote is expected to be close, with some MPs struggling to decide how they will vote on the issue. The results of the vote will be a major hurdle for the bill to pass, although it will still be reviewed in the House of Lords and by a parliamentary committee if it does pass. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, is expected to vote himself, but has not revealed which side he will support, insisting he would not want to influence lawmakers in either direction.