UK lawmakers vote in favor of bill legalizing assisted dying

The UK Parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would allow assisted dying, in a historic move that has ignited debates about individual rights and medical ethics.

The bill, if it becomes law, would permit doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live and who have expressed a clear desire to end their lives. It is still subject to several more stages of approval, including a review by the House of Lords.

This decision marks a significant shift in the UK’s stance on the issue. Assisted dying is currently illegal and carries a maximum jail term of 14 years. The practice is also opposed by some medical and religious groups.

Advocates of the bill argue that it gives terminally ill patients autonomy over their bodies and the timing of their death, and that it is a compassionate response to unbearable suffering. Critics, however, argue that the law could be exploited to pressure vulnerable people into ending their lives, and that it erodes the sanctity of life.

This development follows a global trend towards greater acceptance of euthanasia, with countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Colombia, as well as certain states in the USA and Australia, having already legalized the practice.