Bills to give terminally ill patients in England and Wales the option to end their lives will be introduced in Westminster this month, following progress on assisted dying legislation in Parliament on Thursday.
After MPs rejected a bill on euthanasia by 330 votes to 118 in 2015, left-wing Labor MP Kim Leadbeater introduced the bill, saying “now is the time'' to debate euthanasia. The BBC reported. report.
Private members' bills (proposed by backbench MPs rather than the government) rarely become law, but there has recently been growing momentum to legalize assisted dying.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously promised to give Labor MPs the chance to vote their conscience on the issue, and he himself supports changing the law.
Although details are still being worked out, the bill is likely to be similar to the House of Lords proposal, which would allow terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to end their own lives. It will be.
The bill is expected to be formally introduced on October 16th, with first serious debate likely later this year.
It must be approved by MPs and colleagues before becoming law.
Assisted suicide, which involves intentionally helping another person end their life, is currently prohibited in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
As Breitbart News reported, plans for a similar broader move in Canada come after a push to expand Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for patients with mental illness but no physical illness was shelved in January. , has been postponed indefinitely.
