A new bill is set to be introduced in Parliament this month which proposes that terminally-ill people in England and Wales should have the right to choose to end their own lives. This will be the first time MPs have been asked to consider the issue since 2015, when similar proposals were rejected. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is responsible for introducing the bill and believes that there is strong support for a debate. The bill is due to be considered by MPs and peers later in the year, but would have to be approved before it could become law.
Assisted dying – where terminally ill individuals seek the assistance of medical professionals to end their own lives – is currently illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and can result in a prison sentence of up to fourteen years. However, as a result of the ballot for backbench MPs’ proposed bills, Leadbeater has been given time to propose her legislation. Although the details of her bill have not been confirmed, it is expected to be similar to Lord Falconer’s proposal already before the House of Lords, which would allow adults with less than six months to live access to lethal drugs.
There has been increased debate and discussion of the issue in recent months, after Dame Esther Rantzen announced she had become a member of assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland. Despite resistance from groups such as Care Not Killing, many have welcomed the bill as a positive step towards allowing individuals to make their own choices about their deaths. However, critics, including Conservative MP Danny Kruger, have expressed concern that assisted dying detracts from the importance of providing high-quality palliative care.
The movement towards legalising assisted dying extends beyond England and Wales, with Scotland, the Isle of Man and Jersey also considering changes to their laws. It is uncertain how the House of Commons will vote on the bill, with MPs having changed significantly since the 2015 vote. The current prime minister, Keir Starmer, previously voted in favour of the proposals, whilst the deputy prime minister and foreign secretary, Angela Rayner and David Lammy, voted against. The government has confirmed it will remain neutral on this issue
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