By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LONDON (Worthy News) – British legislators have agreed to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill people, despite concerns the law could be misused to pressure patients deemed ‘unfit’ to live longer.
After five hours of debate in the House of Commons, they voted by 330 to 275 to support the plan that would allow doctors to help patients in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those voting for the bill, giving terminally ill adults “the right” to die once the request has been signed off by two doctors and a high court judge.
Opponents of the historic bill warned patients in England could be subject to coercion and raised alarm about the level of scrutiny the law received.
Experts say the change is unlikely to occur for three years as the legislation must pass several more hurdles in parliament and will not be brought before legislators again until April.
It must also go through the House of Lords. If it becomes law, there will be a two-year implementation period.
BROAD EMOTIONAL DEBATE
Assisted dying is legal in a handful of European countries, Canada, New Zealand, and in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
However, the decision in Westminster followed weeks of often emotional public debate in Britain on life and death, which commentators said “transcended political affiliations.”
Churches and faith groups across Britain condemned a bill “to allow physician-assisted suicide” and tried to block its November 29 approval by parliamentarians.
“The vote will be very close — many members of Parliament, elected only recently, are having to decide on a life-or-death ethical issue they haven’t considered before,” explained Timothy Dieppe, head of public policy for the advocacy group Christian Concern.
“If they vote against this bill, it will send a powerful signal worldwide that assisted suicide isn’t inevitable and doesn’t constitute progress.”
English, Welsh, and Scottish bishops’ urged opposition to the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill,” tabled by Kim Leadbeater from the governing Labour Party, as it would allow life-ending medical help for terminally ill adults over age 18.
‘DUTY TO DIE’
They insist that a change in law will turn a “right to die” into people thinking they have a “duty to die.”
That sentiment was reflected in an open letter signed by the Bishop of London, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi.
They wrote that they are “deeply concerned about the impact the Bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threatening abuse and coercion.”
Yet Friday’s vote prepared for a shift that some have compared to Britain’s legalization of abortion in 1967 and the abolition of the death penalty in 1969.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A revised draft of a UN Security Council resolution outlining the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” is set to be circulated by the United States for review among Security Council members, according to an exclusive report by The Jerusalem Post.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has declined to immediately pursue membership in the Abraham Accords, citing Israel’s control of the Golan Heights as a primary obstacle, though he suggested the Trump administration could eventually facilitate such negotiations.
French authorities have opened a formal judicial inquiry after chaos erupted during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris, where protesters lit flares and shouted anti-Israel slogans before being subdued by audience members.
Russia’s Republic of Dagestan has become the focus of an embarrassing aviation scandal after a helicopter carrying senior defense-industry officials broke apart in mid-air and crashed — an event caught on video and widely shared online, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced an unprecedented crisis Monday after its director-general and head of news resigned amid accusations of political bias at what was once regarded as the flagship of both Britain and journalism worldwide.
President Donald Trump secured a significant diplomatic breakthrough Monday as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed an agreement bringing Syria into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, making the war-torn nation the 90th member of the U.S.-led counterterrorism alliance.
In a disappointing setback for religious freedom advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment to hear former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis’s appeal, leaving in place a $360,000 judgment against her for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The justices let stand lower court rulings that found she violated couples’ constitutional rights under the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, despite what her legal team characterizes as a conflict with her First Amendment religious liberty rights.