British lawmakers give initial support to assisted dying bill

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Britain’s parliament on Friday backed a new bill to allow assisted dying, kicking off months of wrangling over a potential legal change that would undermine national standards on dignity in death and end-of-life care. It has sparked a conversation.

In the initial passage of the bill, 330 lawmakers voted to 275 in favor of the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” Bill, which would provide for mentally competent, disabled adults in England and Wales who have Reviewed by doctors. The right to choose to end your life with medical assistance has six months or less to live.

It is a historic step towards a law change that could see the UK follow other countries such as Australia, Canada and some US states in what would be one of its biggest social reforms in a generation.

However, the bill can still be changed or voted down as it makes its way through both the House of Commons and the unelected upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords.

“It will be a very thorough process,” Labor lawmaker Kim Leadbetter, who introduced the bill, told the BBC, adding that the process could take another six months.

“There is plenty of time to get this right,” he said after more than four hours of emotional debate in the chamber.

Those in favor of the bill say it’s about shortening their lives and giving them more control.

Opponents say that frail sick people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden on their family and society rather than prioritizing their own health.

Others expressed concern that there was not enough time to consider the bill before a vote, and highlighted concerns that safeguards in place in other places that allow assisted dying have been eroded. is given

“If we can, it will be another opportunity to improve, and if we can’t, I hope we will reject it,” Conservative lawmaker Danny Krueger told Sky News. He added that he believed it was “impossible to write a bill that is safe”.

Ledbetter has committed to the strictest security measures in the world. Under the proposals, two doctors and a High Court judge would be required to certify that the person made the decision voluntarily. Forcing or forcing someone to end their own life is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

A national debate

The proposal has sparked a national debate in Britain, with former prime ministers, religious leaders, doctors, judges and ministers in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government weighing in on the issue.

Starmer voted in favor of the bill, although several senior members of his government voted against. Polls show that the majority of Britons helped to die.

Foreign Minister David Lemmy said he voted against the bill because he believed politics “should be about extending life, not shortening it”, while former prime minister Rishi Singh, whose Conservatives won the July election Starmer, who lost to Labour, said he supported the bill. This will reduce the suffering.

The Bill will replace the law in England and Wales. Scotland is considering changing its law to allow assisted dying, while Northern Ireland has no such proposal.

Assisted dying supporters gathered in groups outside Parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. When the results of the vote were announced, some people hugged, cheered or simply cried.

Liz Reed, 38, said, wiping away tears: “I’m absolutely delighted, but obviously very emotional. “I hope it means that something good can come out of something that’s really terrible.”

Ledbetter expressed gratitude for the spirited but measured nature of the debate, even from those who opposed his bill.

“It’s very emotional, but it’s emotional for a lot of people,” he said. “I’m glad we were able to represent those voices here today, and we can take it to the next level.”