England and Wales consider new assisted dying bill
A bill allowing terminally ill adults in England and Wales to end their lives with medical assistance has been introduced to parliament. The proposal which has support from two-thirds of Britons‚ will be debated next month
In a move that could change end-of-life choices for many‚ a new bill allowing terminally ill adults in England and Wales to seek medical help to end their lives has been put forward in parliament today. This proposal‚ the first of its kind in about a decade aims to modify the current law which punishes those assisting suicide with up to 14 years imprisonment.
Kim Leadbeater‚ the Labour Party lawmaker behind this bill‚ argues that the existing legislation is out-of-date given the shift in public opinion. She stated‚ “For some people palliative care is not going to ease their pain and suffering and they are asking for the choice to have an assisted death and I think they should be given that choice“. A poll conducted last year indicates that up to two-thirds of Britons support legalizing assisted dying.
The proposed legislation would allow mentally competent‚ terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical assistance. This aligns England and Wales with several other countries and US states that have already legalized assisted dying under certain circumstances. For instance Switzerland has allowed it since 1942 (about 82 years ago) while the Netherlands legalized it in 2002 (roughly 22 years ago).
However the bill faces opposition from various quarters. Archbishop Justin Welby‚ head of the Church of England expressed concern about protecting vulnerable individuals: “My concern is that once you can ask for assisted suicide it soon becomes something that you feel that you ought to do“. Similarly‚ actor and broadcaster Liz Carr voiced her fears on social media platform X saying‚ “For many of us including many disabled people who would be impacted by these laws its not just worrying‚ its terrifying“.
The debate on this proposed legislation is scheduled for November 29th (about 1.5 months from now). If a vote follows it could kick off the formal process for a law change. Its worth noting that in 2015 (around 9 years ago) British lawmakers voted 330 to 118 against a similar proposal.
Interestingly some of Britains biggest social reforms have come from private members bills‚ submitted by individual lawmakers like Leadbeater. These include:
- Abolition of the death penalty
- Legalisation of abortion
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality in the 1960s
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated that politicians will be able to vote with their consciences on this matter rather than along party lines. This approach recognizes the complex ethical considerations involved in such legislation
