• To be limited to terminally ill patients with 6-12 months to live

A new proposal to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales was introduced in the UK parliament on Wednesday, raising concerns from senior church leaders and opponents about the potential consequences of allowing terminally ill individuals to choose to end their lives.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons will be given a free vote on Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill,” allowing them to vote based on conscience rather than party lines.

While details are still pending, The Times reported that if the bill is passed, a patient’s request to die would likely require approval from a judge and two doctors, limited to those with a life expectancy of six to 12 months.

Supporters and opponents of the bill planned to express their views outside parliament, where an assisted dying bill was last debated—and ultimately defeated—in the Commons in 2015.

Currently, assisted suicide is prohibited in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with violators facing a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

In Scotland, which operates a separate legal system and has devolved powers to establish its own health policies, assisted suicide is not classified as a specific criminal offence but can result in other charges, such as murder.

Leadbeater told The Times that her bill reflects a shift in public opinion toward assisted dying, a practice that has been legalised in various degrees across several European countries.

“I am very clear the law needs to change, having met those families who have horrendous stories of suicide of loved ones, horrible painful deaths or going to other countries,” she said.

“People deserve a choice and they’ve not got that,” she added, promising “safeguards and protections” as core elements of the bill.

The debate has gained momentum from a campaign led by former BBC television presenter Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer.

However, opposition to the proposed legislation includes some disability rights groups and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the UK’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic cleric, who has urged followers to contact MPs to voice opposition to the change.

On Tuesday night, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the global Anglican communion, referred to the proposal as a “dangerous… slippery slope” that could lead to misuse among individuals who are not terminally ill.

Welby is entitled to a vote on the matter as one of the 26 “lords spiritual,” senior Church of England clergy who sit in the upper chamber, the House of Lords.

Alistair Thompson, from the anti-euthanasia group Care Not Killing, also warned that changing the law could push the UK to follow the example of Belgium and the Netherlands, which have extended assisted dying to minors.

“We know that introducing an assisted suicidal euthanasia bill would put a lot of people under pressure to end their lives prematurely,” he told AFP.

MPs are expected to debate and vote on Leadbeater’s bill on November 29. The outcome remains uncertain as it is a private member’s bill, not part of the government’s legislative agenda.

Earlier this year, a bill to legalise assisted dying was introduced in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

The Isle of Man and Jersey—self-governing British Crown Dependencies that are not part of the UK—are also progressing toward passing laws to allow terminally ill individuals the right to die.

Belgium, alongside the Netherlands, became the first EU countries in 2002 to permit euthanasia.

Spain authorised euthanasia and medically assisted suicide in 2021 for people with severe, incurable illnesses, and Portugal followed suit in 2023.

Credit: AFP