Assisted suicide

Laws to legalise assisted suicide were defeated in Scotland and Westminster during 2015 but fresh attempts to remove end-of-life protections from the vulnerable reoccur regularly.

England and Wales

Update

On Friday 11 September, MPs defeated Lauren Edwards’ Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was a repeat of Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide legislation of the same name. It was voted down by 286 votes to 270.

When last it was voted on in the House of Commons in the form of Kim Leadbeater’s Bill, MPs chose to advance the Bill, with 314 MPs voting in favour and 291 against. This was a much smaller majority than had voted for it eight months prior (330 to 275).

This narrowed majority was a recognition that the scrutiny at Committee and Report stage had failed to improve the Bill – and in some areas had made it worse. Few amendments to strengthen safeguards were accepted, while other safeguards were stripped away. MPs rejected amendments to protect those struggling with mental illness, financial pressure, or concerns about being a burden.

Nevertheless, some MPs stated that they only voted in favour in the expectation that the House of Lords would improve the Bill. However, after months of debate, and an unprecedented amount of time given over to the backbench MP’s Private Member’s Bill, the legislation ran out of time as it was so flawed it was impossible to deal with the sheer volume of amendments needed to make it remotely workable.

Supporters of Kim Leadbeater’s Bill complained of a small number of Peers filibustering in order to derail the legislation, but this is untrue. Well over 150 Peers spoke against it or tabled amendments, and while filibustering refers to speaking for extended periods to run down the clock, Peers spoke for an average of only six or seven minutes per amendment.

However, Lauren Edwards MP came second in the Private Members’ Ballot in May 2026, bringing back an identical Bill to Kim Leadbeater’s. Lauren Edwards and some of her allies spoke of the possibility of using the Parliament Acts to bypass scrutiny in the House of Lords. This would have been unprecedented, and would have led to drastically worse legislation which could have left countless vulnerable people at risk.

But we give thanks to God that her Bill was voted down at Second Reading by MPs.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would have allowed those in England and Wales deemed to be terminally ill and with less than six months to live to receive help to kill themselves.

Scotland

On 17 March 2026, the Scottish Parliament rejected an attempt to legalise assisted suicide for the third time in sixteen years. MSPs defeated Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill by 69 votes to 57, with one abstention. The proposals, which would have legalised assisted suicide for adults deemed to be terminally ill with less than six months to live, sparked fierce opposition from politicians, medical experts, commentators and religious groups.

During the final debate of the Bill, Former First Minister Humza Yousaf explained that while he had seen his uncle die a slow death that was hard to observe as a family member, he felt there is still far too much room for self-coercion in the Bill.

“If to give a small minority this option, we create a law under which even one person ends their life because they feel guilty, dependent, or like a burden, then this parliament will not have made compassionate law, it will have made dangerous law.”

Lethal drugs

In October 2021, Dr Joel Zivot, Associate Professor of Anaesthesiology and Surgery at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia spoke to the Institute debunking the claim that assisted suicide is a peaceful death. His evidence is based on his own review of autopsy reports from executions in the United States.

Isle of Man

In March 2025, the Isle of Man’s Parliament passed a Bill to legalise assisted suicide. The Private Member’s Bill proposed by Ramsey MHK Alex Allinson will allow terminally ill residents to be given lethal drugs to end their own lives. After receiving Royal Assent, the Bill could come into effect as early as 2027.

Jersey

Politicians in Jersey have voted to legalise assisted suicide on the island. The first assisted suicides are expected to happen as soon as 2027, open to terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months, or 12 months if they have a neurodegenerative condition.

The legislation also makes provisions for euthanasia, where a doctor or nurse may directly administer the lethal drugs to end the life of their patient.

2015

In May, 2015 MSPs voted comprehensively against the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill by 82 votes to 36. The Bill sought to allow people as young as 16 to get help to kill themselves.

Those voting against the Bill included First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour Kezia Dugdale and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.

Then in September 2015 at Westminster, MPs voted 330 to 118 against Rob Marris’ Private Members’ Bill.

The result came following pressure from disabled rights groups, the medical profession, a number of charities and religious leaders.

Serious concerns had been raised that legalising assisted suicide would pressurise the sick, elderly and vulnerable into ending their lives for fear of being a burden. Many pointed to the incremental extension of the practice in Europe, and the absence of genuine safeguards.