The latest attempt to liberalise the current law and introduce assisted suicide has been comprehensively defeated in the Commons on Friday 11 September.
The Assisted Dying Bill (No 2) was soundly rejected by MPs at Second Reading with 330 MPs voting against the legislation and 118 voting in favour.
The legislation, based on Lord Falconer’s previous Bill in the House of Lords came in for strong criticism by MPs across the chamber for a whole variety of reasons, most notably in relation to the so called safeguards.
It is also opposed by the Royal Colleges of Physicians, the British and World Medical Associations, elderly and disabled organisations, and right-to-life advocates.
Victory for the vulnerable
Public policy charity CARE, one of the UK’s largest Christian charities and a prominent campaigner against assisted suicide, said the outcome was a victory for vulnerable and elderly people across the nation.
The charity’s CEO Nola Leach said the government should make significant investments in developing palliative care and the UK’s already extensive hospice network to ensure that all patients have access to quality end-of-life care. She said: ‘I’m delighted so many MPs voted against this Bill and the margin of victory is clear and comprehensive.
‘The legalisation of assisted suicide would have been a fundamental departure from our nation’s compassionate heritage and a dangerous mistake.
‘Far from being broken, the current law protects both doctors and patients and assisted suicide would only undermine that protection.
‘MPs have rejected assisted suicide as incompatible with a caring society.’
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