As MPs vote FOR assisted dying…what does this mean for patients and how will it work?
Today, MPs took the first step in passing one of the most historic pieces of legislation of the past decade.
The House of Commons has passed the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which calls for the right of patients with less than six months to live to apply for assisted death in England.
The result was achieved by a narrow majority: 330 votes in favor and 275 against, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer being one of the politicians in favor.
But today’s events do not mean that assisted dying is a certainty in England.
The nation won’t know until next year at the earliest whether assisted dying will be enshrined in law.
This is because the bill now moves to a committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before it faces further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill to Parliament, has said it is likely to be another two years before there is an assisted dying service.
But if the law is ultimately passed, what will it mean in practice?
MPs voted in favor of assisted death by 330 to 275, although we won’t know until at least next year whether the bill becomes law.
The bill contains a number of provisions about who can seek help in ending their lives, and how they can do so.
First, two independent doctors must confirm that the patient meets the following criteria.
Those eligible must be over 18 years old, live in England and Wales and be registered with a GP in the past year.
It must be assumed that they have the mental capacity to make the choice to end their lives, and that they should not be pressured by others to do so.
A medical team must have calculated a bleak prognosis: less than six months.
To ensure that the decision has been properly considered, the patient must also make two separate statements about their wish to die.
If doctors believe the patient is eligible, the case is referred to a Supreme Court judge, who makes the final decision.
At least two weeks after a positive ruling, a patient may commit suicide with the help of a doctor.
The House of Commons passed the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by a majority of 55, to continue its progress through Parliament.
Activists supporting campaign group Dignity in Dying protest in Parliament Square ahead of today’s vote
The medic prepares the lethal drug, although the patient administers it himself.
The bill does not clarify the exact circumstances of the death, including what medication is given and whether or not a patient should be in a medical setting.
Concerns have been raised that ‘gaps’ in the legislation would put vulnerable patients at risk of ill-considered decisions.
For example, earlier this month it emerged that doctors are allowed to raise the subject of assisted suicide with patients, even if they have not raised it themselves.
And anyone who needs assistance in dying is allowed to shop around until he or she finds a doctor who will sign off on his or her request if his or her first choice can’t or won’t do the job.
A total of 236 Labor MPs supported the bill, alongside 23 Tories, 61 Liberal Democrats and three Reform MPs from the UK.
Concerns have also been raised about the reliability of doctors’ forecasts, given cases where they were incorrect and patients lived longer than predicted.
A recent analysis published by The Telegraph suggested that half of patients who were told they would only live for six months survived the expectation.
Veteran Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh said: “The promised safeguards do nothing to prevent the abuses we have seen in Canada. Vulnerable people need our protection. This bill is not the answer.”
A recent survey found that 70 percent of people in England support a change in the law, while only 14 percent are opposed.
