The UK gives preliminary approval to end the life of terminally ill adults

British lawmakers on Friday gave preliminary approval to a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales after a lively parliamentary debate in which people shared personal stories of loss and suffering.

Lawmakers approved the assisted dying bill by a 330-275 vote. The vote signals their in-principle approval of the bill, which is now being sent for further consideration in parliament before going to a final vote.

Friday’s vote came after hours of debate – sometimes emotional – that touched on issues of ethics, mourning, law, faith, crime and money. There was no noise and shouting that often accompanies debates in the House of Commons, and speeches were considered with respect and listened to in silence.

Supporters say the new law will provide dignity for the dying and prevent unnecessary suffering, while providing enough protections to prevent people at the end of life from being forced to take their own lives.

Opponents said it would expose vulnerable people to direct or indirect coercion to take their lives, lest they become a burden.

The proposed bill would allow adults over the age of 18 who are expected to have less than six months to live to request and receive end-of-life assistance, provided safeguards and protection are in place.

They would have to be able to take lethal drugs on their own, and any decision would have to be signed by two doctors and a Supreme Court judge. The Act will not apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Supporters of the bill told heartbreaking stories of constituents and family members who suffered in the final months of their lives, and of dying people who committed suicide in secret, because it is now a crime for anyone to provide assistance.

“Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about a choice between life and death, we’re talking about giving dying people a choice about how to die,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, as she introduced the bill to a packed chamber.

She admitted it wasn’t an easy decision for lawmakers, but “if any of us wanted an easy life, we were in the wrong place.”

Opponents spoke of the danger that vulnerable, elderly and disabled people could be forced to choose assisted dying to save money or ease the burden on family members. Others called for improved palliative care to alleviate suffering as an alternative.

Danny Kruger, who led the argument against the bill, warned lawmakers not to support a “national suicide service.” He argued that no amount of safeguards would stop many vulnerable people from feeling pressured to ask to end their lives.

Kruger expressed his disappointment with the outcome, but said there was a risk that lawmakers would reject the bill when it comes back for a vote in the next few months. Many people who voted in favor of the resolution on Friday said they did so only because they wanted to analyze the details more closely and could potentially vote differently in the future.

“I still think we can stop it,” he said.

Although the bill was proposed by Leadbeater, a member of the ruling center-left Labor Party, it was a public vote in which alliances were formed across political divides.

The government is widely expected to present an assessment of how assisted dying is funded and its impact on the UK’s state-funded NHS, hospice care and the legal system in the next few months.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not show his hand before the vote, but supported the change. Other members of his cabinet, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood, voted against it. Similar divisions existed in other political parties.

Long-time British campaigner Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill with lung cancer and has played a leading role in advocating for a vote on assisted dying, expressed her delight at the “wonderful” result and said it would give people an “equal choice”.

After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Rantzen stated that she would travel to Switzerland to end her life, where the law allows assisted dying for non-residents.

Hundreds of people representing both sides of the issue gathered outside parliament during the debate, and the vote resulted in cheers and hugs from supporters.

“It’s a relief, it’s history. We are finally getting closer to a society that shows love and compassion beyond the need to keep people alive,” said Joshua Cook, 33, who suffers from the incurable neurodegenerative disease Huntington’s disease.

Other countries that have legalized assisted suicide include Australia, Belgium, Canada and parts of the United States, with laws on who is eligible varying by jurisdiction.

Assisted suicide differs from euthanasia, permitted in the Netherlands and Canada, which involves a healthcare professional administering a lethal injection at the patient’s request under certain circumstances.