London, United Kingdom – Britain is debating the issue of assisted dying after a bill to legalize it in England and Wales was formally introduced in Parliament last week, the first attempt to change the law in a decade.
If enacted, assisted dying would legally grant mentally competent and terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.
Since the Suicide Act 1961, it has been illegal in England and Wales to encourage or assist suicide, and those found guilty face up to 14 years in prison.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who is behind the bill introduced on October 16, said in a statement that it was “important” to get legislation right with “the necessary protections and safeguards” so that people with disabilities or mental illnesses do not they feel bad. pressured to make the decision, which opponents of the bill say could happen.
The debate on the polarizing issue has moved religious figures and organizations.
“Legalizing assisted suicide would disproportionately affect many millions of vulnerable people who may perceive themselves as a burden on those around them and on the health service,” said Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The British Islamic Medical Association said: “As well as the religious objection, many of us will have objections based on the code of professional ethical conduct. “We also see how this can be dangerous for vulnerable people and marginalized communities who already struggle to access healthcare in a system that is not able to efficiently respond to complex healthcare needs.”
Here's what we know about the bill:
What is assisted dying?
Assisted dying is when terminally ill people are given lethal medications by a doctor to end their lives.
It should not be confused with euthanasia, which is a process similar to ending a life by receiving lethal medications from a doctor, but in this case, the person does not need to be terminally ill to choose to die.
What is the invoice about?
While many details of the bill have yet to be finalized, it is expected to be similar to an assisted dying bill introduced in the House of Lords in July. That bill has since been withdrawn to make way for the new bill.
In the previous bill, those who are terminally ill and have only six months or less to live would be able to access medical help to end their lives after the decision is approved by two doctors and a High Court judge.
The last vote on legalizing assisted dying in Britain was in 2015, but it was overwhelmingly rejected by British lawmakers: 330 voted against and 118 in favor.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who supported an assisted dying bill in 2015, said lawmakers should have a “free vote” and not be forced to cast their vote along party lines.
“There are reasons to change the law,” he said.
A debate and first vote on the bill is expected to take place on November 29.
What do proponents of the bill say?
Arguments in favor of assisted dying include self-determination, relief from pain and suffering, and peace of mind.
Hundreds of Britons have spent thousands of pounds traveling to Switzerland to facilities such as Dignitas, an organization that offers assisted dying.
According to Dignity in Dying, which conducted a survey, 84 percent of Britons support legalizing assisted dying.
Across political parties, the highest support was among Green voters, with 79 percent backing a change in legislation. They were closely followed by Conservative voters with 78 per cent support, Labor voters with 77 per cent support and Liberal Democrats with 77 per cent.
A spokesperson for Dignity in Dying told Al Jazeera that the new bill would bring “hope” to those who have called for a “compassionate choice at the end of life.”
“Under the current system, there are no initial checks and balances to prevent a terminally ill Briton from being forced to travel to Dignitas or take their own life at home. We urgently need greater scrutiny, accountability and protection. That is what this bill will bring,” the spokesperson said.
Who opposes assisted dying and why?
Those against assisted dying have warned that marginalized groups, including disabled people and low-income households, will be disproportionately affected and exposed to risks.
Some religious groups are against the bill, arguing that life is sacred and ending it prematurely is morally wrong.
Others said improving palliative care should be the focus.
Disabled People Against Cuts have called on MPs to vote against the Assisted Dying Bill after saying it would put “disabled people under pressure to end their lives prematurely”.
“The initial good intentions of offering end-of-life options can lead to disabled people without terminal illnesses being pushed toward premature death because they do not have the support to live with dignity,” he said.
The group highlighted the lack of state funding for hospice and palliative care, which provides support to people with terminal illnesses.
Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care not Killing, said the anti-assisted dying group has pushed for years to fix the palliative care system.
“We know that one in four people who would benefit from it are not currently receiving it,” he told Al Jazeera.
“But the reality is that it is incredibly expensive to fix the palliative care system. A large portion of the funding for the palliative care system, which goes to the palliative care movement, is raised by the public. It is not centrally funded. “So fixing the palliative care system means giving more money to the palliative care movement… and that will be a multi-billion pound question,” Thompson explained.
Because Britain has an aging population with complex needs, a legal route to assisted dying would lead to “more and more people feeling pressured to end their lives prematurely”, he said.
“Safeguards will be eroded and simply expanded.”
Where is assisted dying legal?
In Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and some states in the United States.
For those who oppose the bill, Canada has become an example of why the assisted dying bill should not be passed in England and Wales.
Assisted dying was legalized in Canada in 2016. The law was then expanded in 2021 to allow people with incurable but non-terminal illnesses, including disabilities, to find a way to die.
But according to a recent investigation by The Associated Press, medical workers are “dealing with requests from people whose pain could be alleviated by money, adequate housing or social connections.”
Figures from Canada's most populous province suggest that a “significant number of people euthanized when they are in uncontrollable pain but not close to death live in the poorest areas of Ontario,” The Associated Press revealed.
Thompson urged the British government to “look very, very carefully.” [Canada] before taking this very dangerous route.”
Daniel Gover, senior lecturer in British politics at Queen Mary University of London, wrote about what could happen next for The Conversation.
There are many steps ahead that will likely take months, if not longer, he said.
“Despite these procedural obstacles, the assisted dying bill has a reasonably good chance of becoming law,” he wrote. “In the end, a lot will depend on whether parliamentarians are willing to support this change and how determined they are to do so.”
