Historic vote: First vote: British MPs for euthanasia

Great Britain is taking a decisive step towards legalizing euthanasia. In the lower house of parliament, a majority of MPs said terminally ill people should be able to get help to end their lives. The plans thus clear an initial hurdle in parliament and will now be negotiated in committees before another vote.

The bill allows euthanasia for adults in England and Wales who have less than six months to live. Two doctors and a judge must agree to this. Assisting suicide is currently considered a criminal offense that can be punished with up to 14 years in prison. The controversial debate about new regulations has dominated the news in the United Kingdom for days. Observers spoke of a historic moment.

British government divided on the issue

The bill was introduced by a member of the government parliamentary group. Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet was previously divided on the issue. According to the British news agency PA, Starmer voted in favor. Seven in ten Brits support legalizing euthanasia, according to a YouGov poll.

The new regulation will give dying people “a choice, autonomy and dignity at the end of their life” under strict conditions, said initiator Kim Leadbeater, defending her proposal. The MPs were free to decide according to their conscience and were not bound to their faction. Ultimately, the upper house also has to agree.

What critics say about the plans

Opponents criticize, among other things, that legalization could make people feel pressured to end their lives. For some people the debate is moving too quickly. Conservative MP Danny Kruger warned of a “state suicide service”.

“There is a great danger that doctors will be obliged to find a doctor for the patient who will accompany the suicide,” said Eugen Brysch, board member of the German Patient Protection Foundation, to the German Press Agency. In Germany, too, there has been a struggle for possible legal regulation of euthanasia for years – but so far without results.