UK lawmakers reject assisted dying bill after two-year Parliament debate

UK lawmakers on Friday voted down a bill that would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was defeated by 286 votes to 270, bringing to a close a two-year debate in Parliament on assisted dying.

The bill had earlier cleared the elected House of Commons in 2024 and 2025, but did not become law after being effectively filibustered in the unelected House of Lords. The government had taken a neutral position on the issue, calling it a matter of conscience, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not vote, saying he did not want to "unduly influence the debate".

The proposed law would have allowed adults in England and Wales who had fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Such a request would have needed approval from two doctors and an expert panel.

Opponents said the bill was unsafe and unworkable. They raised concerns about the possible coercion of vulnerable people and said there were not enough safeguards for people with disabilities. Lawmaker and cancer surgeon Dr Zubir Ahmed also pointed to the uncertainty involved in a doctor's prognosis. "I have to be honest with you," he said. "When I am asked to prognosticate as to whether someone has six months to live or not, I am as often wrong as I am right."

Supporters of assisted dying, sometimes referred to as assisted suicide, had hoped the measure would bring about the biggest change in UK social policy since abortion was partly legalised in 1967. They said it would end the need for people nearing the end of their lives to travel to other countries, such as Switzerland, for an assisted death.

Assisted suicide, where patients take a lethal drink prescribed by a doctor, is legal in countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and parts of the US, though the rules on eligibility differ by place. In July, French lawmakers backed a similar bill to allow adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, but it has not become law as it will be reviewed for compliance with the French Constitution.

Friday's vote means the proposed law on assisted dying will not go ahead in England and Wales, ending a lengthy parliamentary debate that had twice seen the bill backed in the Commons before its final defeat.