London: British lawmakers on Friday voted to approve a bill legalizing assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales.
The vote, passed by a narrow margin of 314 to 291 in the House of Commons, marks the nation’s most significant potential shift in social policy in decades.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, would allow mentally competent adults with six months or less to live to end their lives with medical assistance.
The legislation, however, still faces a lengthy scrutiny process in the House of Lords, where it could be amended or delayed but not overturned.
The emotional vote comes ten years after a similar effort failed in Parliament and follows months of impassioned debate inside and outside Westminster.
🚨UK VOTES TO LEGALIZE ASSISTED DYING
The UK will not go the way of Canada and we will see old people feel pressured into being killed by the state because they worry they are a burden
We are lead by morally bankrupt, sick, psychopaths
The British people never voted for this pic.twitter.com/jaLnGFZpIm
— Basil the Great (@Basil_TGMD) June 20, 2025
Lawmakers were granted a free vote, meaning they voted according to their conscience rather than party lines. Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported the bill, while some members of his Cabinet, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, voted against it.
The bill will now proceed to the House of Lords, where it faces months of detailed examination. Any amendments would require further Commons approval.
If the legislative process continues without major delays, the law could come into effect by 2029, with implementation timelines already adjusted from an initial two years to four.
Under the current version of the bill, terminally ill adults over 18 must be certified by two doctors as having less than six months to live and be mentally capable of making the decision.
Patients would be required to self-administer the life-ending medication, distinguishing the process from euthanasia, which is practiced in countries like the Netherlands and Canada.
BREAKING: MPs vote to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The #AssistedDyingBill will now proceed to the House of Lords. A landmark victory for compassion, dignity, and choice. pic.twitter.com/3qmbUcBDAI
— Humanists UK (@Humanists_UK) June 20, 2025
One major change from the original bill was the removal of a court approval requirement. Instead, a multidisciplinary panel comprising a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist, and a social worker would assess eligibility.
New provisions also ensure the appointment of independent advocates for individuals with learning disabilities, autism, or mental health conditions.
Additionally, a new clause ensures that no person, whether a doctor, pharmacist, or care worker will be compelled to participate in the process.
If enacted, the law would place the UK among a growing number of jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada, and parts of the United States, that allow some form of assisted dying.
