British lawmakers to vote on landmark assisted dying law
FILE PHOTO: A protestor holds a placard as they gather outside the parliament as British lawmakers debate the assisted dying law, in London, Britain, November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -British lawmakers will vote on Friday on whether to proceed with a bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people, in what would be the biggest social reform in the country for a generation.
Last November, lawmakers voted 330 to 275 in favour of the principle of allowing assisted dying, paving the way for Britain to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some U.S. states.
Now, after months of scrutiny, amendment and emotional debate, the bill must clear another stage of voting to keep it on the road to legalisation, a process that could still take months. A vote against would stop it in its tracks.
The Labour lawmaker who has proposed the new law, Kim Leadbeater, said there could be a reduction in the number of members of parliament who support the bill on Friday, but she was confident it would still be approved.
One member of parliament who supports the legislation said there were about a dozen votes between those in favour and against, with a number yet to declare their position.
Dozens of lawmakers earlier in June signed a letter to the leader of the House of Commons saying that there had not been enough time to debate the details of such a consequential law change.
Leadbeater said her biggest fear was that if the legislation was voted down, then it could be another decade before the issue returns to parliament.
The issue was last considered in 2015 when lawmakers voted against it.
"It works and it is safe, and it provides dignity to terminally ill people," she told reporters before the vote. "This is not an either or when it comes to palliative care or assisted dying. It is about choice for people."
PUBLIC SUPPORT
Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying, and supporters say the law needs to catch up with public opinion.
But, since the initial vote, some lawmakers say they are worried the bill's protections against the coercion of vulnerable people have been weakened.
Under the proposed law, mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or fewer to live would be given the right to end their lives with medical help.
In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist.
Lawmakers have also raised questions about the impact of assisted dying on the finances and resources of Britain's state-run National Health Service and the need to improve palliative care.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is neutral on the bill, meaning politicians can vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
Lawmakers will hold a final debate on the legislation on Friday morning before a likely vote in the afternoon. If it passes, the legislation will be sent to the House of Lords, parliament's upper chamber, for further scrutiny.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysiakini
3 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
Indian 'mandors' not the real problem
COMMENT | The Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) deputy president S Subramaniam has suggested that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim head the Indian Community Action Committee (ICAC) rather than appointing Indian 'mandors' from PKR or the Pakatan Harapan-led coalition. The British planters used the 'mandor' system during the colonial period, in which Indian 'mandors' or supervisors were appointed to manage the labour affairs. The 'mandors' might be South Indian Tamil, but they took instructions from the white managers in managing labour affairs in the plantations. Unlike the Chinese 'kepala' who had the material interest of Chinese labour, the Indian 'mandors' functioned on behalf of the plantation bosses. My book on plantation labour describes in detail why...
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Gold steady as Israel-Iran conflict escalates, US involvement uncertain
KUALA LUMPUR: Gold held steady on Friday, with geopolitical tensions escalating in the Middle East as Israel and Iran continued their air war, while investors remained wary of possible US involvement. Spot gold was steady at US$3,367.60 an ounce, as of 0020 GMT. Bullion was down 1.90 per cent so far this week. US gold futures were also stable at US$3,384.20. The conflict in the Middle East intensified on Thursday when Israel bombed Iran's nuclear sites, while Iran fired missile and drone strikes on Israel, including an overnight attack on an Israeli hospital. Neither side has signalled an exit strategy. US President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war, the White House said on Thursday, raising pressure on Tehran to come to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, three diplomats told Reuters. Trump reiterated his calls for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, saying the rates should be 2.5 percentage points lower. The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday, and policymakers retained projections for two quarter-point rate cuts this year. European officials are increasingly resigned to a 10 per cent rate on "reciprocal" tariffs being the baseline in any trade deal between the US and the European Union, five sources familiar with the negotiations said. The US dollar index fell 0.20 per cent, making greenback-priced bullion more affordable for overseas buyers. Elsewhere, spot silver was steady at US$36.36 per ounce, platinum fell 0.70 per cent to US$1,297.89, while palladium was down 0.40 per cent to US$1,046.71. All three metals were headed for weekly gains.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
British FM says ‘window now exists' for diplomacy with Iran
WASHINGTON: On the eve of European talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday after meeting high-level US officials that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran. Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, before talks on Friday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside his French, German and EU counterparts. The diplomatic flurry came as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear program -- and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran. 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous,' Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington. 'We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' Lammy said. 'Tomorrow, I will be heading to Geneva to meet with the Iranian foreign minister alongside my French, German and EU counterparts,' the British minister said. 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.' The State Department said Lammy and Rubio had 'agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.' - European push for diplomacy - Araghchi earlier confirmed he would 'meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,' in a statement carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA. The talks are set to include Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Trump has said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as Israel pummels the country and Tehran responds with missile fire. France, Germany, Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which Trump sunk during his first term in office. The EU's Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path towards ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the Iran-Israel conflict. He asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with 'close partners' to that end. Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since Israel launched massive air strikes against Iran on Friday. 'We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs,' Barrot said. Israel says its air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the 3.67 percent limit set by a 2015 deal with international powers, but still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons.
