The British government is set to introduce a bill in Parliament this Wednesday that would legalize assisted dying for terminally ill individuals. This marks the first time in nearly ten years that the issue will be debated in the House of Commons, following several failed legal attempts to overturn the current ban, according to an AP report.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is spearheading the initiative, which aims to give terminally ill patients in England and Wales the option of physician-assisted death. The full details of the bill are expected to be released later this month, prior to a parliamentary vote.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has assured MPs that they will have a “free vote” on the matter, allowing them to vote according to their personal convictions rather than along party lines. Starmer has expressed support for similar legislation in the past, stating in 2015, “there are grounds for changing the law.”
Leadbeater made it clear that the bill focuses strictly on terminally ill patients, emphasizing, “There is absolutely no question of disabled people or those with mental illness who are not terminally ill being pressured to end their lives.” She stressed the importance of crafting legislation with “the necessary protections and safeguards.”
The proposed bill is likely to mirror an earlier assisted dying proposal introduced in the House of Lords this year. However, that proposal has faced slow progress. In the UK’s legislative system, bills originating in the unelected House of Lords rarely become law, though the Lords play a significant role in reviewing and amending legislation passed by the Commons.
The House of Lords proposal limits assisted dying to adults with six months or fewer to live and requires approval from the High Court after two doctors have made a declaration, among other stipulations.
Esther Rantzen, a terminal lung cancer patient and founder of a British children’s charity, has publicly supported the bill. She urged the public to reach out to their local MPs, saying, “all we are asking for is the right to choose.” Without legal options available in the UK, Rantzen is considering traveling to Switzerland for assisted suicide.
On the other side of the debate, disability rights advocate and actress Liz Carr warns that changing the law could put vulnerable individuals at risk.
Assisted suicide is already legal in countries such as Australia, Belgium, and Canada, each with their own regulations. Naomi Richards, an anthropologist from the University of Glasgow, pointed out that unless public demand for broader access grows, the number of Britons opting for assisted dying may remain relatively low.
“These are questions that in a democracy will only be answered further down the road,” Richards said.
Trudo Lemmens, a health law professor at the University of Toronto, cautioned the UK to proceed carefully. Based on Canada’s experience, where assisted dying was legalized in 2016, he warned that people often seek such assistance because they feel they are a burden.
“Pressure inevitably increases to expand it beyond what is legislated,” Lemmens added. “Countries should be extremely careful on this and deeply study what has happened in other jurisdictions before they allow end-of-life termination by physicians.”
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