A bill looking to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill people who want to make use of it passed through Britain’s lower house of parliament after lawmakers’ first chance to debate it on Friday.
The narrow vote, where MPs had been told they could vote on their conscience rather than being urged to follow a party line as usual, passed by 330-275 in the House of Commons.
This followed a sometimes-impassioned debate lasting several hours, on an issue that had divided opinion and raised questions about the standards of palliative care.
Friday’s vote was the so-called “second reading,” where MPs have their first chance to debate the proposal.
It will now move on toward a third and final reading in the House of Commons and will also eventually need to clear the House of Lords if approved. The entire process could take several months or potentially longer still and could involve alterations or amendments to the plan.
The bill would apply for England and Wales but not Scotland and Northern Ireland, though a similar bill is in the process of navigating the Scottish parliament.
Assisted suicide is currently banned in England and Wales, and deliberately helping someone to end their life can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
The bill proposes legalizing assisted dying in some cases and under strict conditions.
The person must be aged 18 or older, suffer from a terminal medical condition and be expected to die within six months.
They must also be deemed mentally capable of making the decision, and deemed to have done so clearly and without any form of coercion or pressure.
As the lawmakers debated the changes on Friday, supporters and opponents rallied outside parliament.
Some carried placards with slogans like “kill the bill, not the ill,” and “first, do no harm,” while others held banners saying “let us choose” and calling for “dignity in death.”
