MPs to vote on assisted dying bill in England and Wales
The assisted dying bill will bring the UK into line with some other countries who have offered this option for those suffering with incurable illnesses
Labour MP for Spen Valley, Kim Leadbeater, will seek to introduce a Private Members’ Bill to enable assisted dying for eligible adults who are terminally ill in England and Wales.
It comes as the law has not been updated for some 60 years.
While Keir Starmer has expressed his support for a change in the law, MPs will get a free vote as it is “a matter of conscience”.
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, wrote in a letter to ministers that it “means that ministers can vote, or not, however they wish”, and that the government will therefore “remain neutral on the passage of the bill and on the matter of assisted dying”.
According to Leadbeater, the assisted dying bill will bring the UK into line with some other countries who have offered this option for those suffering with incurable illnesses.
Assisted dying has been legally recognised for terminally ill people in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a number of US states including Oregon. Most notably, none have repealed the laws or subsequently relaxed them.
Leadbeater has assured that there would be safeguards and protections in place to ensure that people will not be pressured into agreeing to assisted dying against their will.
In addition, she stressed that the appearance of an assisted dying bill would not undermine calls for improvements to palliative care.
A similar legislation is currently under consideration in Scotland, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
Under the current law, anybody in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who travels with a loved one to Dignitas in Switzerland – or comforts them at home while ending their life – could be prosecuted for up to 14 years.