MPs have voted in favour of passing assisted dying in England and Wales
MPs in the House of Commons have voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
With 314 votes in favour and 291 against, it will now need to pass through the House of Lords before it becomes law. Here, it's set to face further debate and scrutiny.
Both houses have to agree the final text of it before it can be signed into law.
The Bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives.
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It's currently against the law in these countries to encourage or assist suicide, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
Today's (20 June) historic vote followed hours of debate, with MPs allowed to vote in accordance with their own personal beliefs rather than alongside party lines.
It was the first time the Bill was debated and voted on in its entirety since 2024's historic yes vote. There was a higher majority then, at 55 at second reading, in support of the principle of assisted dying for England and Wales.
Opponents argued that it has been rushed through but the third reading today had a majority of 23 to approve Kim Leadbeater's Bill.
If it does pass through the House of Lords, it could be 2029 before assisted dying is offered, due to the four-year implementation period.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill allows terminally adults end their life if they meet a number of criteria:
- Are over the age of 18, live in England or Wales and have been registered with a GP for at least a year
- 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'
- Have a life expectancy of less than six months
- Have made two separate declarations (both witnessed and signed) about their wish to die
- Are able to satisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible (with at least a week in between each)
Once an application has then been approved, the person would have to wait 14 days before the assisted death.
Under the Bill, it would be illegal to coerce someone into declaring they want to end their life and this would carry a possible 14-year prison sentence.
Public support for a change in the law in England and Wales remains high, according to a YouGov poll published on the eve of the vote.
With 2,003 adults in Great Britain surveyed, 73 percent of those asked last month were supportive of the Bill. And the proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle stood at 75 percent.
Jess Battison