UK dispute over assisted dying: what you need to know about the emotional debate | Explanatory messages

London, UK – Britain is debating the issue of assisted dying after a bill to legalize the method was formally introduced in Parliament last week in England and Wales, marking the first attempt to change the law in a decade.

If implemented, assisted dying would legally give terminally ill, mentally healthy adults who have six months to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.

Since the Suicide Act 1961, encouraging or assisting suicide has been illegal in England and Wales, with those found guilty facing up to 14 years in prison.

Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who is behind the bill introduced on October 16, said in a statement that it was “important” to introduce appropriate legislation with “the necessary safeguards and safeguards” to ensure that people with disabilities or mental illness do not feel forced to make a decision – which he said opponents of the bill may happen.

The debate on the polarizing issue has stirred religious figures and bodies.

“Legalizing assisted suicide would have a disproportionate impact on many millions of vulnerable people who could see themselves as a burden to those around them and the health service,” said Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The British Islamic Medical Association said: “As well as religious objections, many of us will have objections based on the professional code of ethics. We also see how this can be dangerous for vulnerable people and marginalized communities who already struggle to access health care in a system that is unable to effectively respond to complex health care needs.”

Here’s what we know about the bill:

What is assisted dying?

Assisted dying occurs when a terminally ill person is given lethal drugs by a doctor that end their life.

It should not be confused with euthanasia, which is a similar process of ending life by taking lethal drugs from a doctor, but in this case a person does not have to be terminally ill to choose to die.

What is this bill about?

While many details of the bill have not yet been finalized, it is expected to be similar to aid in dying Bill introduced in the House of Lords in July. This bill has already been withdrawn to make way for the new law.

Under the previous bill, terminally ill people with six months or less to live would have access to end-of-life medical assistance after a decision was signed by two doctors and a Supreme Court judge.

The last vote to legalize assisted dying in the UK took place in 2015, but it was rejected by a majority: 330 voted against, 118 for.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who supported the Assisted Dying Act 2015, said lawmakers should have a “free vote” and not be forced to cast votes along party lines.

“There are grounds for changing the law,” he said.

The debate and first vote on the bill are scheduled to take place on November 29.

What do supporters of this bill say?

Arguments for assisted dying include self-determination, relief of pain and suffering, and peace of mind.

Hundreds of Britons have spent thousands of pounds traveling to Switzerland to visit facilities such as Dignitas, an aid-in-dying organization.

According to a Dignity in Dying poll, 84 percent of Britons support the legalization of assisted dying.

Of all political parties, the highest support was recorded among Green voters – 79 percent supported changing the legislation. They were closely followed by Conservative voters with 78% support, Labor voters with 77% support and Liberal Democrats with 77%.

A spokesperson for Dignity in Dying told Al Jazeera that the new law would bring “hope” to those who have called for “compassionate choice at the end of life.”

“There are no front-end checks and balances in the current system to prevent a terminally ill Briton being forced to travel to Dignitas or take their own life at home. We urgently need more control, accountability and protection. That’s what this bill will bring,” the spokesman said.

Who is against assisted dying and why?

Advocates of assisted dying warn that marginalized groups, including people with disabilities and low-income households, will be disproportionately affected and at risk.

Some religious groups oppose the bill, arguing that life is sacred and ending it prematurely is morally wrong.

Others said the focus was instead on improving palliative care.

Disabled People Against Cuts has urged MPs to vote against the Assisted Dying Bill after saying it would put “disabled people under pressure to end their lives prematurely”.

“Initial good intentions to provide choice at the end of life may lead to the premature death of people with disabilities without terminal illnesses due to a lack of support to live with dignity,” it said.

The group drew attention to the lack of state funding for hospices and palliative care, which provide support for terminally ill people.

Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care not Killing, said the anti-assisted dying group has been pushing for years to overhaul the palliative care system.

“We know that one in four people who would benefit from it are not currently using it,” he told Al Jazeera.

“But the reality is that fixing the palliative care system is incredibly expensive. A huge part of the funds from the palliative care system that go to the hospice movement are collected by members of the public. It is not centrally funded. So fixing the palliative care system means putting more money into the hospice movement… and that will be a multi-billion pound issue,” Thompson explained.

As the UK’s aging population has complex needs, a legal route to assisted dying would lead to “increasing numbers of people feeling compelled to end their lives earlier”, he said.

“Protections will erode and simply be expanded.”

Where is assisted dying legal?

In Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and some states of the United States.

For opponents of the bill, Canada has become an example of why the Assisted Dying Act in England and Wales should not be passed.

Assisted dying was legalized in Canada in 2016. Then in 2021, the law was expanded to allow people with incurable but non-terminal conditions, including disabilities, to seek a way to die.

But according to a recent one investigation according to the Associated Press, medical workers “are grappling with requests from people whose pain can be alleviated with money, adequate housing or social contact.”

Data from Canada’s most populous province suggests that “a significant number of people who are euthanized when they feel uncontrollable pain but are not close to death live in Ontario’s poorest areas,” the Associated Press revealed.

Thompson urged the British government to “look very, very carefully at (Canada) before going down this very dangerous path.”

Daniel Gover, senior lecturer in British politics at Queen Mary University of London, wrote about what might happen next Down Conversation.

There are many steps ahead that will likely take months, if not longer, he said.

“Despite these procedural obstacles, the Assisted Dying Act has a relatively good chance of entering into force,” he wrote. “Ultimately, much will depend on whether MPs are willing to support this change and how determined they are to do so.”