By 286 votes to 270, the House of Commons in Britain rejected a bill aimed at legalizing assisted dying in England and Wales. The 16-vote margin brought the latest attempt to change the legislation to an end.
Të lidhura
None found
The bill, titled “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life),” would have allowed people with a life expectancy of less than six months to request assistance to end their lives, provided they met certain criteria and safeguards.
The vote took place after a lengthy and emotional debate, during which MPs presented arguments both in favor of and against the possible consequences of changing the law.
According to the BBC, the initiative introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards will not proceed to the next stages of the parliamentary process. Friday’s result rules out an immediate change to the assisted dying law, although the issue could return in another parliamentary session.
A similar initiative had won the support of MPs during the previous parliamentary session, but failed to complete the procedure in the House of Lords.
Under the latest version of the proposal, people seeking assisted dying would have undergone a multiple-stage verification process. The safeguards envisaged included approval from two doctors and a panel of experts.
Supporters of the bill said that people suffering from terminal illnesses should have the right to choose how to end their lives.
The vote was a free vote, allowing MPs to decide according to their own convictions rather than necessarily following the positions of their political parties.
Outside Parliament, the decision prompted strong reactions. Supporters and opponents of assisted dying gathered in Parliament Square, while emotions ran high on both sides after the result was announced.
Esther Rantzen, an activist and founder of Childline who is terminally ill with cancer, said she was saddened that people with terminal illnesses in England and Wales would not have the option available in some other countries.
Rantzen has also said that her physical condition is now too frail to travel to Switzerland, where assisted dying is permitted in certain circumstances.
Over the past two years, hundreds of hours of debate on the issue have taken place in Parliament. Changing the law would have represented one of the most significant social transformations in Britain in recent years.
Although the bill was defeated, political and social debate over assisted dying is expected to continue, and the issue could be brought forward again in a future parliamentary session.
