Members of Parliament voted 314-291 to back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill following an impassioned and respectful debate.
The bill now goes to the unelected House of Lords, which can amend or delay policy, though it can’t overrule the lower chamber.
The bill would allow terminally ill adults over age 18 in England and Wales, who are deemed to have less than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death.
The terminally ill person would have to be capable of taking the fatal drugs themselves.
Proponents of the bill argue those with a terminal diagnosis must be given a choice at the end of their lives. However, opponents say the disabled and older people could be at risk of being coerced, directly or indirectly, into ending their lives to save money or relieve the burden on family members. Others have called for improvements in palliative care and greater investments in hospices to ease suffering as a better and more moral alternative.
Diane Abbott, a veteran left-wing Labour lawmaker, urged MPs to “speak up for the voiceless one more time, because there is no doubt that if this bill is passed in its current form, people will lose their lives who do not need to, and they will be amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society.”
Plenty of revisions have been made to the measure.
Perhaps the most important change was to drop the requirement that a judge sign off on any decision. Many in the legal profession had objected.
Now any request would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
Before Friday's vote, supporters were dressed in clothing emblazoned with the phrase “Campaign for Dignity in Dying,” while opponents held up banners urging lawmakers not to make the state-run National Health Service the “National Suicide Service.”
