Ahead of the British general election, the Houses of Parliament will be held in London, England on June 28, 2024.
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Britain’s parliament voted on Friday in favor of a new bill to legalize euthanasia, opening the way for months of further debate over an issue that has sparked a national conversation about the dignity of death and end-of-life care.
In the initial approval of the bill, 330 MPs voted in favor and 275 MPs opposed the “End-of-life Adults (End of Life)” Bill, which will provide for mentally sound terminal adults in England and Wales to, after assessment by a doctor, With six months or less left, they have the right to choose to end their life with medical help.
It kicks off months of further debate, with the bill still likely to be amended or even defeated as it passes the House of Commons and the unelected upper house, the House of Lords.
“It’s going to be a very thorough process,” Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill, told the BBC. She added that the process could take another six months and that she was open to discussing further modifications to address people’s concerns.
“There is plenty of time to resolve this issue,” she said after more than four hours of heated debate in the chamber.
Supporters of the bill say it is intended to shorten the time to death for terminally ill patients and give them more control.
But opponents say vulnerable patients may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, rather than prioritizing their own well-being.
Others worry there won’t be enough time to consider the bill before the vote.
Conservative MP Danny Kruger, the main opponent of the legislation, told Sky News: “If we can, we will have a further opportunity to improve it, and if we can’t, then I hope we can reject it.” He Adding that he believed “it is impossible to write a safe bill”.
national debate
The proposal has sparked a national debate in the UK, with former prime ministers, religious leaders, medical staff, judges, disabled people and ministers from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government all weighing in on the issue.
Starmer voted in favor of the bill, but some other senior members of the government voted against it. Polls show that a majority of Britons support euthanasia.
The bill will change the law in England and Wales. As for the rest of the UK, Scotland is considering changing its own laws to allow euthanasia, but there is no such proposal in Northern Ireland.
Pro-euthanasia supporters gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote results on their phones. Some people clasped their hands together as if in prayer.
Some hugged and cheered when the results were announced. Some shouted: “Yes!” Others said: “We did it” and “Thank you.”
Lipbitt paid tribute to the passionate but cautious nature of the debate, even among those who opposed her bill.
“It’s very exciting, but it’s true for a lot of people,” she said. “I’m glad we’re here today to represent those voices and we can take this to the next stage.”
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