{"id":101363,"date":"2024-12-02T09:38:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T07:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide"},"modified":"2024-12-02T11:40:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T09:40:13","slug":"british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide","title":{"rendered":"British MPs Back Proposals To Legalise Assisted Suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>Members of Parliament in England and Wales last week voted to legalise assisted dying, with a majority of 55 in favour (330 to 275), reported BBC News.<\/p>\n

Assisted suicide refers to the practice in which a person provides assistance to another person in ending their own life, typically to relieve suffering from a terminal illness or unbearable pain.<\/p>\n

This assistance can take various forms, such as providing the means to carry out the act or offering information about how to do so.<\/p>\n

The vote followed a heartfelt debate where MPs shared personal stories that influenced their decisions.<\/p>\n

The bill will undergo further debate and scrutiny in Parliament, requiring approval from both Houses before becoming law.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the bill celebrated outside Parliament, with campaign group Dignity in Dying calling it a \u201chistoric step towards greater choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who proposed the bill expressed being \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by the support and the significance of the vote for campaigners.<\/p>\n

However, Conservative MP Danny Kruger warned that the bill could face challenges in later stages if concerns about safeguards are not adequately addressed.<\/p>\n

MPs were allowed a free vote, enabling them to act according to their conscience rather than party lines.<\/p>\n

A higher percentage of female MPs (55%) supported the bill compared to male MPs (49%).<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former PM Rishi Sunak voted in favour, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch opposed it.<\/p>\n

The government has taken a neutral stance on the bill and has said it will support the implementation of the law if passed.<\/p>\n

Opponents of the bill raised concerns that terminally ill people, particularly the elderly, disabled or vulnerable, could be pressurised into ending their own lives.<\/p>\n

They also argued the focus should be on improving end-of-life care rather than introducing assisted dying.<\/p>\n

Leadbeater insisted her bill includes strict eligibility criteria, requiring individuals to have mental capacity and make an informed, voluntary decision.<\/p>\n

To be eligible for assisted dying under Leadbeater\u2019s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, someone must have the mental capacity to make a choice about ending their life and express a \u201cclear, settled and informed\u201d wish, free from coercion or pressure, at every stage of the process.<\/p>\n

Two independent doctors and a High Court judge must be satisfied someone is eligible and has made their decision voluntarily.<\/p>\n

However, the Labour\u2019s Diane Abbott, who is the longest-serving female MP said she feared the role of the judge could be only \u201ca rubber stamp\u201d.<\/p>\n

She told MPs some terminally ill people may also feel under pressure to end their lives as they don\u2019t \u201cwant to be a burden\u201d or because of the cost of their care.<\/p>\n

The issue has divided cabinet members, with some voting for and others against the bill.<\/p>\n

Overall 15 cabinet members, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, voted in favour, while eight voted against.<\/p>\n

Existing UK laws prohibit people from seeking medical assistance to die.<\/p>\n

A separate bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland is also on the agenda, expected to be voted on next year.<\/p>\n

Assisted suicide is often contrasted with euthanasia, where a medical professional administers a lethal substance to end a person\u2019s life. In assisted suicide, the individual must take the final action themselves.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Members of Parliament in England and Wales last week voted to legalise assisted dying, with a majority of 55 in favour (330 to 275), reported BBC News. Assisted suicide refers to the practice in which a person provides assistance to another person in ending their own life, typically to relieve suffering from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":101362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[17354,19],"class_list":["post-101363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-assisted-dying","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nBritish MPs Back Proposals To Legalise Assisted Suicide - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Members of Parliament in England and Wales last week voted to legalise assisted dying, with a majority of 55 in favour ( ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"British MPs Back Proposals To Legalise Assisted Suicide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Members of Parliament in England and Wales last week voted to legalise assisted dying, with a majority of 55 in favour ( ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-02T07:38:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-02T09:40:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/12\/sm_1733119798.820555.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"404\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"British MPs Back Proposals To Legalise Assisted Suicide\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-02T07:38:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-02T09:40:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\"},\"wordCount\":559,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/12\/sm_1733119798.820555.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Assisted Dying\",\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/british-mps-back-proposals-to-legalise-assisted-suicide\",\"name\":\"British MPs Back Proposals To Legalise Assisted Suicide - 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