Parliament is set to cast their votes on the controversial issue of assisted dying, potentially paving the way for its legalisation. A bill is due to be introduced in the House of Lords next Friday, proposing the legalisation of assisted dying for adults who are mentally sound and have less than six months to live.
The Private Members’ Bill, proposed by Lord Falconer, was selected in a ballot today and will be voted on in the coming months. Labour leader Keir Starmer has expressed his personal support for the legalisation of assisted dying.
Prior to the election, he pledged to allow a free vote on changing the law and suggested that if the bill passes in the Lords, he will make time for MPs to vote on it. Campaigners such as Dame Esther Rantzen are advocating for a change in the law.
The 84-year-old veteran broadcaster, who is battling lung cancer, has revealed she is considering travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death. However, critics argue that assisted dying could undermine society’s respect for life and place pressure on vulnerable individuals.
Lord Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, previously proposed a similar bill in 2013 which was passed by peers but abandoned due to the 2015 election. The Labour peer has argued that “the law is an absolute mess and totally lacks compassion” and it is “so urgently time for a change”.
The last vote on this issue in the Commons took place in 2015, when a separate Private Members’ Bill was defeated by 330 votes to 118.
Assisting someone in ending their life is a grave criminal offence in England and Wales, with penalties reaching up to 14 years behind bars.
After securing his election victory, Mr Starmer last weekend affirmed his stance on the contentious issue, stating he would not stand in the way of a parliamentary vote if a Private Members’ Bill surfaced.
While en route to a Nato summit in Washington DC, the PM told journalists: “What I said was that we would provide time for this, obviously by way of a Private Members’ Bill, and there will be a free vote, that remains my position. I’m not going back on the commitment I made… we will allow time for a Private Members’ Bill, and there will be a free vote.”
Andrew Copson from Humanists UK has voiced that legal amendments should extend beyond those who are terminally ill. He contended: “Allowing people to choose the manner and moment of their own death should be seen as the hallmark of a compassionate society and recognised as a basic human right. As a first step towards a kinder, inclusive, and more dignified law on assisted dying, we welcome the introduction of this bill.”