Historic law in the United Kingdom: The British Parliament approves the legalization of euthanasia
The law was passed with 314 votes in favor and 291 against, in a vote that was not subject to party discipline.
LondonIn a historic decision, the British Parliament voted this Friday in favor of a bill to legalize assisted dying. The law was passed with 314 votes in favor and 291 against, in a closer vote than that of the project without amendments, in November, and was not subject to party discipline.
The bill will allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with less than six months to live, to request an assisted death, subject to the approval of two doctors and a panel consisting of a social worker, a judge, and a psychiatrist. The vote puts the UK—although the law will only be legal in England and Wales—in the same direction as countries such as Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada, where euthanasia is legal.
But critics of the legislation have warned that such safeguards are not strong enough and that vulnerable people could be coerced or pressured into ending their lives prematurely. Supporters of the law say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering from a terminal illness.
The bill must now go through the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny, although its passage through the Commons has been guaranteed, since although there may be further amendments, the unelected Lords will never block a valid legal text.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had expressed support for allowing assisted dying, and even voted in favor. But his government has remained neutral regarding the proposed law presented in a personal capacity by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. The lethal drug can be prepared by a doctor, but it must be administered by the patient themselves, in order to avoid abuse. In this sense, the law introduces penalties of up to 14 years in prison for anyone who pressures, coerces, or deceives someone into committing suicide or declaring that they want to do so.
The polarization that the debate on the law has sparked has caused supporters and opponents of euthanasia to gather outside the Palace of Westminster from the very beginning, trying to influence the debate. In November, when the law passed the second hurdle in parliamentary procedures, the gap between those in favor and those against was 55 votes. But in recent months, the margin has narrowed to 23.
While the green light from the Commons guarantees that, perhaps at the latest by the end of the year, the law will be validated by the king and come into force, what will not disappear due to the effect of parliamentary arithmetic is the debate within parliamentary arithmetic. In this regard, one of the first voices to announce their commitment to the battle was the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, former Chief Nursing Officer for England, who stated: "This Bill has survived its third reading despite mounting evidence that it is unenforceable, unsafe and poses a risk to people. This has been echoed in many of MPs' speeches today and is demonstrated by the reduction in the Commons majority in favour of the Bill. In other words, Bishop Sarah Mullally said: "We will become a society in which the state fully funds a service for people with terminal illnesses to end their lives, while scandalously only funding about a third of palliative care."
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has stated that many of its main concerns about the Bill "remain unresolved." Dr. Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: "We are particularly concerned that the bill does not require a holistic assessment of unmet needs. Does the person have a mental disorder that contributes to their desire to die? Do they feel like a burden?" Are you alone? Does she have access to care?
The introduction of the euthanasia law could represent a social change of enormous consequences, as was the decriminalization of abortion in 1967, the abolition of the death penalty, the decriminalization of homosexuality or the legalization of same-sex marriage. In fact, just two days ago, MPs voted to change the abortion law and the House of Commons approved new legislation that prevents women in England and Wales from being investigated, arrested, prosecuted or imprisoned for voluntarily terminating a pregnancy – regardless of the time or trimester. Until now, abortion was legal up to 24 weeks of gestation, and beyond that limit it was legal in certain cases, such as if the woman's life was in danger. But abortions must be approved by two doctors, except for those performed at home within the first 10 weeks.
