U.K. Parliament backs assisted suicide bill

British lawmakers on Friday voted to advance a measure that would allow adults in England or Wales to end their lives with the help of a medical practitioner. Patients would be required to make two signed witness declarations expressing their wish to die and receive evaluations from two doctors who verified their eligibility. Members of Parliament voted in favor of legalizing assisted dying after five hours of debate. Lawmakers opposed to the measure called for better end-of-life care and and more compassion for those who are dying, rather than assisted suicide. The bill must survive months of further debate and parliamentary consideration before it becomes law.

What have people opposed to the measure said? The organization Christian Concern on Friday coordinated a protest outside Parliament Friday morning to call on lawmakers to vote against the bill. The group’s CEO, Andrea Williams, said the bill would strip away protections for vulnerable members of society and called on lawmakers to stop the measure during its upcoming third reading. Numerous lawmakers called out the inherent flaws in what supporters of the bill characterize as safeguards built into the law to protect some patients and other lawmakers said the bill could create pressure for vulnerable members of society to pursue medical suicide.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about faith groups calling for lawmakers to block the measure.