A motion to legalize voluntary or assisted dying has been passed by Parliament in England and Wales. After a long debate, the country took major legal action on such deaths. Under the proposed law, any terminally ill adult who is likely to die within six months will be able to seek the authority's assistance in ending their own life.
The BBC reported on Friday that it was the first time in nearly a decade that MPs had voted to legalize euthanasia. The proposal was finally passed by a margin of 330 to 275 votes. The proposed law will now be tabled in Parliament for further discussion and amendments. It now requires the approval of both houses of the British Parliament to take effect.
Earlier, MPs were allowed to vote on the motion based on their conscience. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his predecessor Rishi Sunak also voted in favor of the motion. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was against the proposal.
The proposal to legalize euthanasia in the UK was tabled by Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, the BBC reported. “This decision is a huge victory for those campaigning for assisted dying,” he said after the vote.
The proposed framework of the bill states that applicants for assisted dying must be mentally competent and must make the decision spontaneously, without any pressure or coercion.
Two independent doctors and a High Court judge must be satisfied with the decision-making process.
Opponents of the proposal, meanwhile, claim that the dying, the elderly and the disabled may be forced to undergo the procedure due to pressure from themselves or others. Conservative MP Danny Krueger opposed the proposal, saying it would be 'the equivalent of introducing a state-sponsored suicide service.'
Proponent Leadbeater promised that all aspects of the bill will be thoroughly reviewed before it is passed. He said, 'It may take two years to implement the bill. Because it's more important to do it right.'
