Nearly ten years after a previous attempt failed, a bill to legalise assisted death for terminally ill people was presented by a Labour MP in the British House of Commons on Wednesday.
"This is a great day" and "the start of a new chapter," said MP Kim Leadbeater, who came on Wednesday morning to thank activists from the Dignity in Dying group gathered outside Parliament.
Early in the afternoon, she presented her bill entitled "Terminal ill adults +end of life+ bill", confirming that her text will be debated on November 29.
Before coming to power this summer, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer had pledged to allow parliament to vote on assisted dying. The previous vote in the lower house was in 2015.
Assisted suicide or aiding suicide is illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a penalty of 14 years in prison if aiding or abetting.
In Scotland it is not criminalised as such but a person who helps someone to die can be prosecuted for voluntary manslaughter.
The details of the proposed law are not yet known, but it is expected to make the use of assisted suicide conditional on the approval of two doctors and a judge.
– “Guarantees and protections” –
As in other countries where the legalisation of medically assisted death has been debated, the subject is delicate in the United Kingdom, between its supporters who defend a right to "die with dignity" and its opponents who fear possible abuses.
"I think the time has come to have this debate," Kim Leadbeater told AFP, assuring that his text will include "robust and secure guarantees and protections."
Anil Douglas came to support the MP. His father, Ian, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, committed suicide in 2019 without telling his loved ones to avoid any criminal repercussions for them.
"His death was terrible, it took place in secret, solitude and danger, and if the law had been different (...) he would have been much safer," Anil believes.
Keir Starmer has clarified that there will be no voting instructions on this text.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Anglican spiritual leader, warned of a "dangerous approach" which "in every other place where it has been adopted, leads onto slippery ground".
The British are overwhelmingly in favour of changing the law, according to several polls.
According to the latest study, carried out by King's College London and published last week, 63% of those questioned support the legalisation of medically assisted death within five years.
– “A real choice” –
"This law is needed because dying people need to be able to choose how they end their lives," argues Sarah Wootton, chair of Dignity in Dying, highlighting the inequality between those who can afford to travel abroad to obtain assisted suicide and the majority who are "suffering here".
"The focus should be on improving palliative care," argues Alistair Thompson, spokesman for the Care Not Killing group, which opposes assisted suicide. He sees a risk of "putting pressure on many people to end their lives prematurely."
Mr Thompson also deplores the "dangerous path" taken by certain countries where medical assistance in dying has been progressively expanded.
Several territories attached to the Crown are also taking initiatives to develop their law.
In May, the Parliament of the Channel Island of Jersey approved the preparation of a bill by 2027 for assisted dying for terminally ill patients. Bills are currently being considered in the Isle of Man and Scotland, which has delegated powers over health.
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