A new proposal to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is introduced in the UK parliament on Wednesday, sparking concern from senior church leaders and opponents about the implications of allowing the terminally ill to die on their own terms.
Lawmakers in the House of Commons will get a free vote on Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, allowing them to vote with their conscience rather than along party political lines.
Details have not yet been published but The Times said that if passed, a patient’s wish to die is likely to need sign-off from a judge and two doctors, and would be limited to those with six to 12 months to live.
Supporters of the bill and opponents were due to make their voices heard outside parliament, where an assisted dying bill was last debated — and defeated — in the Commons in 2015.
Currently, assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
