British MPs reject legalizing assisted dying

The House of Commons of the United Kingdom has rejected a bill that would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales to receive medical assistance to end their lives voluntarily. Against the initiative voted 286 MPs, for 270.

The vote took place on 11 September at second reading. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards. After defeat at this stage the document will not be able to proceed to further consideration in Parliament.

The proposal applied only to adults resident in England and Wales who retain the capacity to make decisions themselves and have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than six months. The applicant had to have a "clear, settled and informed" wish to end their life without coercion from others.

The procedure provided for several levels of scrutiny. The patient's decision had to be independently confirmed by two doctors, after which the case was referred to a special multidisciplinary panel. After approval a waiting period was envisaged, and the patient had to take the medication themselves.

Key arguments of opponents of the bill were concerns about protecting vulnerable people from pressure, the ability of doctors to accurately determine remaining life expectancy and the state of palliative care. Some MPs insisted that before changing the law the state needed to improve access to care for seriously ill patients.

Proponents of reform, by contrast, argued that the current system denies terminally ill people the possibility to determine themselves the circumstances of their final days and in some cases forces them to endure severe suffering.

This vote was a reversal compared with the previous attempt to change the law. In June 2025 the House of Commons approved a similar bill introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. However, it did not manage to complete all the necessary stages in the House of Lords before the end of the parliamentary session and therefore lapsed.

In June 2026 Lauren Edwards re-introduced the initiative with practically the same goal. To become law the document had to pass again through the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but defeat already at second reading effectively stopped the current attempt at reform.

Existing legislation in England and Wales does not make suicide a criminal offence, but intentional assistance to another person to commit it can entail criminal liability. After the vote on 11 September these rules remain unchanged.

Based on materials from: The Guardian, House of Commons Library, Associated Press