UK House of Commons votes to legalize assisted dying

The British House of Commons has passed a bill to legalize assisted dying. In a vote in London on Friday, 314 MPs voted in favor of the controversial proposal and 291 against. The bill proposes to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales under certain conditions. A change to the law would allow seriously ill people to make a "compassionate and safe decision," said Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the proposal, during the four-hour debate. Following approval in the House of Commons, the next step is for the House of Lords to vote on the matter. 

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The law would apply to people with less than six months to live who are capable of administering the lethal substance themselves. It would also require the approval of two doctors and a panel of experts. During the debate in the House of Commons, both supporters and opponents of the proposal demonstrated outside the Houses of Parliament, holding signs reading "Let's vote" and "Don't make doctors kill us." 

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David Walker, 82, told AFP news agency he supported the change in the law because he saw his wife suffer for three years until her death. "That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people going through the same thing, because if you no longer have a quality of life, then you have nothing," Walker said. Elizabeth Burden, a 52-year-old physician, fears the law could pave the way for people to be forced to end their lives. She called on the government to focus instead on palliative care. 

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According to a survey published on Thursday by the polling institute YouGov with around 2,000 participants, 73 percent of respondents supported the change in the law. In an initial vote on the amendment last November, a majority of 330 MPs voted in favor, with 275 voting against. Since then, there have been numerous amendments to the bill.

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Among other things, the bill proposes a ban on advertising for assisted suicide. The position of some MPs on the amendments has changed since the initial vote. Party discipline for MPs was lifted during the vote.

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Assisted dying is currently prohibited in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and carries prison sentences of up to 14 years. It has been legalized to varying degrees in several European countries in recent years, including Belgium and the Netherlands.