U.K. Parliament rejects bill to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill
LONDON — A push in Britain to legalize assisted dying collapsed Friday with an emotional House of Commons vote to reject a bill that would have allowed the terminally ill to seek help ending their lives.
The defeat leaves Britain, at least for now, outside a growing list of European countries and 14 U.S. jurisdictions that allow some form of assisted suicide.
Lawmakers voted 286 to 270 against advancing the Terminally Ill Adults bill, which would have made it legal for the patients meeting certain criteria to acquire and self-administer a fatal injection.
The defeat marks a reversal from a Commons vote last year to approve the bill by a margin of 314 to 291, underscoring the emotional volatility of the issue.
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The previous bill was subsequently blocked by some opponents in the House of Lords, Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, who ran out the clock with more than 1,200 proposed amendments.
Friday’s defeat ends for now a push to revive the bill. Supporters say they will try again, though analysts said no full-scale effort was probable before the next general election, which is expected in 2029.
“Parliament has dropped the ball today,” Lauren Edwards, the bill’s chief sponsor, said in remarks after the vote. “It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand.”
The legislation would have permitted the terminally ill to seek help dying when they are said by physicians to have less than six months to live.
That proposal has provoked passionate debate for nearly two years, cutting across party lines and inspiring heartfelt, often heartbreaking testimonials on each side Friday.
Supporters framed the bill as a matter of bodily autonomy for people already facing death, often suffering intolerable pain and despair.
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