UK House of Commons Approves Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
Activists for the Right to Die with Dignity in London, UK, June 20, 2025. X/ @dignityindying
June 20, 2025 Hour: 10:59 am
The legislation introduced by Labour MP Leadbeater will now continue its path through the House of Lords.
On Friday, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would allow assisted death for terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months, secured a narrow victory in the House of Commons.
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The bill passed with 314 votes in favor and 291 against. The vote was conducted without party-imposed discipline, allowing each member of Parliament to vote according to their conscience.
In November 2024, the Commons approved the proposed legislation by a 55-vote majority during its second reading. Since then, however, the bill has been amended, and several lawmakers from different parties have changed their positions.
The legislation was introduced in October 2024 by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and will now continue its path through the House of Lords, where it must also be approved. As the debate and subsequent vote took place inside Westminster Parliament, hundreds of demonstrators—both in support of and opposed to the bill—gathered outside the building.
Leadbeater said this was a “historic” moment for the country and emphasized that her efforts would now focus on ensuring the highest safeguards are in place to prevent abuse or any sense of coercion for individuals who may feel pressured to request an assisted death.
Among other provisions, the bill states that adults residing in England or Wales who have been registered with a general practitioner for at least 12 months, have a life expectancy of fewer than six months, and are mentally capable of making decisions freely may apply for assisted dying.
Applicants must make two separate declarations—signed and witnessed—expressing a clear, firm, and voluntary desire to end their life. The bill also requires two doctors to assess the patient, and a judicial commission composed of a social worker, a lawyer, and a psychiatrist must grant final authorization.
The lethal medication may be prepared by a doctor but must be self-administered by the patient. Third-party administration is prohibited to prevent abuse. The bill introduces penalties of up to 14 years in prison for anyone who pressures, coerces, or deceives someone into seeking or declaring a desire to end their life.
On May 13, the Scottish Parliament separately approved the general principles of a bill to legalize assisted suicide in Scotland. That legislation is currently progressing through the parliamentary process.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
