MPs have voted to allow a proposed law on assisted dying to progress to the next stage in Parliament.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was proposed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater as a private member’s bill.
After five hours of debate, MPs backed the bill by 330 to 275.
It was a free vote, meaning parties did not tell their members which way to decide.
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The bill now goes to committee stage, the next step in the process of becoming law.
The proposed legislation says that anyone who wants to end their life must:
- be over 18 and live in England and Wales, and have been registered with a GP for at least 12 months
- have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure
- be expected to die within six months
- make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die
- satisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible – with at least seven days between each assessment
At present, laws throughout the UK prevent people from asking for medical help to die.
This bill applies to England and Wales. A separate bill is already under discussion in Scotland.
Under the proposals, a High Court judge would have to rule each time a person makes a request to end their life. A patient would then have to wait 14 days before acting.
A doctor would prepare the substance being used to end the patient’s life, but the person would take it themselves. The bill does not say which drug would be used.
It would be illegal to coerce someone into declaring they want to end their life, with a possible 14-year prison sentence.