Controversial Assisted Dying Bill Defeated
MPs overwhelmingly reject right-to-die legislation in the first vote on the issue for almost 20 years.
Friday 11 September 2015 14:26, UK
A controversial bill that would have made it legal for the terminally ill to end their lives has been defeated in the House of Commons.
MPs voted 330 to 118 to reject the Assisted Dying Bill, which had been introduced by Labour MP Rob Marris.
It was the first time in nearly 20 years that MPs had looked at Britain's euthanasia laws and the proposed change was always likely to face fierce opposition from within Parliament.
Mr Marris had argued the current legislation was a "mess" and that people should be entitled "choice and dignity".
Writing in a blog ahead of the debate, Mr Marris said: "At present, the law denies dying people the choice of a safe, legal assisted death, whilst turning a blind eye to home suicides, and to technically illegal actions by doctors, and to Dignitas deaths."
He added: "As an MP, as a lawyer, and as an individual, I am convinced that we can and should allow better choice for dying people."
MPs were given a free vote in what was the first key question of conscience for the new House of Commons.
Under the bill's clauses, two doctors and a High Court judge would have had to be satisfied that a patient was eligible.
In order to qualify for the right to die under the proposed legislation, a patient had to be terminally ill with less than six months to live, mentally fit to make the decision and aware of alternatives.
Anyone wanting to die would have to administer the fatal medication themselves.
Hundreds of passionate campaigners, both for and against, gathered outside Parliament before the vote.
After the vote, Care Not Killing campaign director Peter Saunders said: "They have done this because they have witnessed mission creep in the tiny number of places that have changed the law to allow assisted suicide and euthanasia - countries like Belgium, the Netherlands and the American state of Oregon."
But Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: "The vote only goes to show just how ridiculously out of touch MPs are with the British public on the issue.
"By rejecting the bill, Parliament has in effect decided to condone terminally ill people ending their own lives but refused to provide them the adequate protection they need."
Prime Minister David Cameron made his opposition to the bill clear.
"The decision I've come to is I don't see a case for this measure," he said in Leeds.
"I don't want to see an expansion of euthanasia in our country. I think there are dangers and so I don't support it."