British lawmakers face historic vote that could change end-of-life choices
British Parliament prepares to vote on letting terminally-ill patients choose their final days. The bill needs support from lawmakers while public opinion shows strong backing for this life-changing reform
In a ground-breaking move British lawmakers are getting ready to vote on an assisted-dying bill which could bring major changes to end-of-life choices in England and Wales
The bill (which needs careful review by Parliament) would let terminally-ill adults with less than six months to live make their own end-of-life decisions. Two doctors and a High-Court judge would need to check that nobody pushed them to make this choice; anyone trying to force someone into this decision could face up to 14 years in jail
Public opinion shows clear support for this change. Anne Ransome a 71-year-old ex-secretary shares her thoughts: “I support assisted dying but we need good back-up to check its the persons real wish“
The proposals key points include:
- Mental fitness check for patients
- Six-month or less life expectancy requirement
- Three-step verification process
- Strong anti-pressure rules
- Medical supervision
Kim Leadbeater who brought this bill forward thinks its time for change. However Gordon Macdonald from Care Not Killing group doesnt agree: he points out that other places that passed similar laws later changed their safety rules
If the bill passes more votes will happen next year - this could be as big as social changes from the 60s like making homosexuality legal. Scotland is working on its own version of this law too. The current governments split on this: some ministers dont support it while others do‚ and Keir Starmer hasnt said how heʼll vote yet
