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A bill aiming to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales is set to expire on Friday, nearly 17 months after it initially gained approval in the House of Commons. The legislation, which would permit adults expected to die within six months to seek medical assistance to end their lives under strict safeguards, has encountered significant obstacles in the House of Lords, where it has failed to pass all necessary stages.
Despite the bill’s current stalemate in the upper chamber, there remains a possibility that it could be reintroduced in the upcoming parliamentary session starting on 13 May. A group of peers who support the measure have addressed a letter to MPs urging the elected House to take charge of the decision-making process, emphasizing that Parliament “must come to a decision on choice at the end of life as soon as possible.” These supporters have accused some opponents in the Lords of employing “delaying tactics,” though critics argue the House of Lords’ scrutiny has revealed important shortcomings in the bill’s provisions.
Opponents of the legislation have also actively communicated with MPs, complaining that the bill’s backers have “stonewalled or rejected nearly every attempt to amend or improve” the proposals. This contentious debate has involved the tabling of more than 1,200 amendments—a record number for a Private Members’ Bill—highlighting the detailed line-by-line examination by the Lords committee, which ends this Friday. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in the Commons, expressed to the BBC a profound sense of disappointment and frustration that the bill would not pass in the Lords. Nonetheless, she mentioned that other MPs are prepared to take on the legislation again in the next session, provided they secure a place in the private members’ bill ballot, which guarantees debating time.
Leadbeater conveyed hope that the bill will once again clear the Commons and that agreement could be reached with peers over any amendments. She also noted that the Parliament Acts—rarely used laws allowing the Commons to override the Lords if the same bill is passed twice—could serve as a last resort to ensure the bill’s enactment. She stated, “We don’t want to get to that stage, we want this to go through the normal legislative process.” Meanwhile, opposition voices within the Lords, such as Baroness Grey-Thompson, criticised the bill for being “poorly written” and lacking sufficient safeguards, despite supporting the principle of assisted dying. Labour peer Lord Falconer of Thoroton, who sponsors the bill in the Lords, has proposed shifting the focus to a broader debate on Friday instead of continuing detailed amendments, signaling ongoing efforts to advance discussions
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