U.K. on track to allow assisted suicide after Friday vote

The British House of Commons on Friday narrowly approved a bill that would allow medical professionals to assist with the suicides of adults in England or Wales. Lawmakers voted 314 to 291 to pass the measure following lengthy debate over proposed amendments and legislators’ positions on the bill. Opponents raised concerns that the bill would pressure individuals into assisted suicide if they felt they had become a burden to their families.

The measure passed by just 23 votes, down from a 55-vote majority when lawmakers considered the bill last year. Under the law, terminally ill people over age 18 who have less than six months to live would be allowed to apply for assisted suicide as long as they are capable of taking the lethal drugs themselves. The House of Lords will now consider the measure.

How did we get here? Parliament in November approved the bill and began months of debate over the details and wording of the law. Some lawmakers changed their minds about the bill in recent months, saying they would no longer support the legislation. Meanwhile, Scotland is considering its own assisted suicide bill. 

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell’s report in WORLD Magazine about an unlikely alliance fighting to stop the bill.