The Commons voted on Friday (20th June 2025) for a bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people. This is a landmark of social reform. The legislation passed by a vote of 314-291. This is considered the biggest parliamentary hurdle. It will now undergo scrutiny in the House of Lords.
There could be further amendments when it goes to the Lords.
Friday’s vote, followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle.
The House of Commons voted on the issue in 2015, when it rejected legalising assisted dying.
The “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” Bill gives mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales, who have six months or less left to live, the right to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.
Patients will have to be capable of taking fatal drugs by themselves after receiving an assessment and conclusion of being competent and fitting the requirements, from doctors and a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist.
Assisted suicide is different from euthanasia, where a healthcare practitioner or other person administers a lethal injection at a patient’s request.
Under current legislation, someone who helps a terminally ill person end their life can receive a custodial sentence of 14 years.
Changes to the original draft of the new bill were made to include the appointment of independent advocates to support people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions and the creation of a disability advisory board.
Who will provide this service? Will it be integrated into the National Health Service?
Supporters of the bill say it will ensure dignity and compassion for people with a terminal diagnosis, who must be given a choice.
The current legislation discriminates against the poor, who face possible prosecution for helping their loved ones die, while the wealthy can travel abroad to legally access the services.
One British person a week is believed to travel to Switzerland at a cost of £12,000. It may be a lonely journey as those who travel with the person may considered to have hasten their death.
Opinion polls show most United Kingdom citizens back assisted dying.
There implementation of the bill must begin within four years of the law being passed.
Opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. Those who feel pressured to end their lives for fear of becoming a burden to their families.
Several MPs withdrew their support for the bill after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. One of the most important changes to the bill from last November was the dropping of the requirement that a judge sign off on any decision. The latest vote passed by a majority of 23, a narrowing of support from the 55 majority (330 votes to 275) in November.
Who will provide this service? An under-resourced both financially and staffing NHS? How much will this cost? Why not state fund palliative care and hospice services more effectively (a lot of them are charities outside of the NHS).
Which doctors, particularly psychiatrists, are going to provide this service? Will it be considered part of their core NHS work? The understanding is that psychiatrists will not have to do this work but where is the clarification of this?
The Royal College of Psychiatrists and The Royal College of General Practitioners have raised serious concerns about the lack of suitable safe-guards, who will provide this service, how will it be funded and the impact it may have on doctors.
Opponents of the legislation include Tanni Grey-Thompson, a disabled MP and Paralympic medallist. In an interview with Sky News, she said nobody needs to die a “terrible death” if they have access to specialist palliative care.
“I’m really worried that disabled people, because of the cost of health and social care, because that’s being removed, that choice is then taken away, so the only choice they have is to end their lives,” she said.
In March, the Isle of Man became the first place in the British Isles to pass an assisted dying bill, allowing terminally ill adults with a prognosis of 12 months or less to choose to end their lives.
Switzerland legalised assisted dying in 1942. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal and Austria have some form of legalised assisted dying.
In the United States, known as “physician-assisted dying” is legal in 10 states. It has been legal in every Australian state since 2022. Colombia legalised euthanasia for terminally ill adult patients in 2014. Ecuador decriminalised euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2024.
Canada introduced Medical Assistance in Dying, in 2016 for terminally ill adults. In 2021, the requirement of suffering from a terminal illness was removed and it is now debating opening the scheme to people who suffer from a mental illness as well.
I do not believe that those who have a chronic condition or ‘unbearable suffering’ should be considered for assisted dying. All very concerning.
What can you do? Lobby your MP to ensure that those with chronic conditions are comfortable, have access to the necessary services and adequate benefits. What society are we when we do not look after the vulnerable?