British MPs on Friday rejected legislation that would have legalised assisted dying, dealing a setback to campaigners for the controversial practice, which is legal in several countries including Canada and Switzerland.
Plans to legalise assisted dying have been the subject of a lengthy and emotional parliamentary debate, with supporters and opponents regularly demonstrating outside Westminster.
MPs in the House of Commons had previously taken the historic step of backing a separate but largely identical bill that would have legalised assisted dying for certain terminally ill adults, before the legislation stalled in the House of Lords.
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill was reintroduced during the current parliamentary session but was rejected by MPs following hours of intense debate on Friday, with 286 votes against and 270 in favour.
Bill would have applied to England and Wales
The legislation would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live, and who were able to clearly express a wish to die, to choose to end their lives with the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.
Opponents of assisted dying welcomed the result.
Gordon Macdonald of the Care Not Killing campaign described it as a “decisive vote”.
Campaign group Dignity in Dying, however, called the result “a devastating setback for dying people”, adding that “this issue is not going to go away”.
Debate remains politically divisive
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has revived his long-standing efforts to improve social care for older and vulnerable people since taking office and has backed prioritising palliative care.
The controversial assisted dying bill passed a landmark vote in the House of Commons last June. However, more than 1,200 amendments were tabled in the House of Lords, which was accused by supporters of obstructing and delaying the legislation.
Earlier this year, Scottish lawmakers rejected a bill to legalise assisted dying. Health is a devolved matter in Scotland.
In the self-governing British Crown Dependencies of Jersey and the Isle of Man, lawmakers have approved legislation on assisted dying, although Royal Assent from the Crown is still expected.
The defeat in the Commons marks another setback for efforts to change the law in England and Wales, although campaigners on both sides are expected to continue pressing their arguments over assisted dying.
Source: CNA
