U.K. parliament votes in favour of assisted dying bill at second reading

In this video grab taken from footage broadcast by the U.K. Parliamentary Recording Unit via the Parliament TV website on November 29, 2024, tellers announce that MPs have approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on second reading by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55, in the House of Commons. Photo: Parliament TV via AFP

Britain’s parliament voted in favour of a new bill to legalise assisted dying on Friday (November 29, 2024), opening the way for months of further debate on an issue that has divided the country and raised questions about the standard of palliative care.

After a passionate debate in the House of Commons, lower house of parliament, 330 lawmakers voted in favour of the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” bill with 275 against.

The vote will start months of further debate and the bill could be changed as it wends its way through both House of Commons and the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour lawmaker who introduced the bill, has said she expects the process to take a further six months.

Published – November 29, 2024 08:10 pm IST