UK Votes to Legalize Assisted Death for Terminally Ill

In a 330 to 275 vote in the House of Commons, British lawmakers legalized assisted dying in England and Wales for those with less than six months to live. The bill will move to Parliament before becoming law. 

For Context: Under the current law, it is illegal to assist someone in dying. Scotland is considering a similar bill on assisted death. Canada passed a law legalizing assisted dying in 2016, and in 2027, Canada will extend eligibility to those whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, and Sweden have also legalized assisted death. Physician assisted suicide is currently legal in nine U.S. states, 40 states prohibit it, and in Montana it is decriminalized. West Virginia voters recently passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting assisted suicide; the first amendment of its kind.

Support for Assisted Death: Those who argue that assisted death should be legal often cite bodily autonomy—that having a right to life also means having a right to choose not to live—saying that dying people deserve dignity. Some point out the British law is strict about those who can be considered.

Opposition: Opponents have concerns that doctors may encourage assisted suicide as an inexpensive alternative to end-of-life care. Some argue that vulnerable patients will be pressured and that allowing assisted dying is a slippery slope, already borne out in Canada. "A society that offers death alongside care to its most vulnerable has abandoned its moral foundations," a professor argued in Newsweek (Center bias).