Assisted dying may be legalised in England and Wales following a historic vote in Parliament that saw proposed legislation pass its first hurdle.
The majority of MPs, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, backed a bill that would allow terminally ill persons with a life expectancy of fewer than six months to end their lives.
There were dramatic moments in the UK’s House of Commons as MPs on both sides of the issue made passionate arguments for and against what has been termed as a “major social reform”.
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Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.
MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at second reading.
