On Friday, MPs will vote on whether assisted dying should be legalised in the UK after months of fierce opposition and endorsement from either side of the political line.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25 will have its second reading on Friday, November 29 after being presented by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October.
The bill only covers England and Wales and would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live and a settled wish to die.
The free vote in the Commons means MPs will vote based on their own personal beliefs and conscience as opposed to being forced to toe the party line.
Most of the 650 MPs have not yet revealed how they will vote, one of whom being Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who previously supported a law change in 2015 – when the last assisted dying bill was rejected.
But what do you think? Should assisted dying be legalised? Vote in the poll and join the debate in the comments below. Can’t see the poll below? Click here.
Labour appears split on the issue, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood intending to oppose the bill, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy intend to support it.
There are also concerns that the bill won’t get enough scrutiny as it’s being pushed through as a Private Member’s Bill rather than a Government Bill. As a result, some MPs have tried to stop the bill being voted on this Friday by putting their names to an amendment.
However, Leadbeater, the MP for Spen Valley, has insisted the legislation is taking “absolutely the right route” through Parliament.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The route of the Private Member’s Bill is absolutely the right route for taking this legislation through. That means that there can be a free vote by all MPs. It is not a Government Bill.
“The Government has a neutral position on this and, sadly, the amendment that a handful of MPs have put forward is disappointing in that the public clearly want this debate to take place.
“And I think we’ve got responsibilities as parliamentarians to make sure that that debate does take place.”
The legislation is backed by the Daily Express’s Give Us Our Last Rights campaign.
You can make your thoughts known by taking our poll in this story. Can’t see the poll above? Click here.
