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‘Praise God’: Assisted suicide Bill defeated in House of Commons

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MPs have voted to reject Lauren Edwards’ assisted suicide Bill by 286 votes to 270.

It was the second time in less than two years that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill had been considered by MPs after it was first brought forward by Kim Leadbeater in 2024.

That Bill was narrowly approved by the House of Commons but failed to progress from the House of Lords due to an unprecedented number of amendments tabled in response to its many flaws. Edwards’ legislation was almost an exact copy of the earlier Bill, and MPs this time voted not to let the dangerous law proceed.

Under the proposals, patients deemed to be terminally ill and with less than six months to live would have been allowed help to kill themselves.

Protecting the vulnerable

The Christian Institute’s Director Ciaran Kelly gave thanks to God for the result.

He explained: “It was a decisive shift in view from the Kim Leadbeater Bill through to this Lauren Edwards Bill. And we can be thankful that MPs have been persuaded by the arguments that have been put forward as to why this Bill should not be brought into law.”

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Naïve idealism

Many MPs stood up to speak powerfully against the Bill, noting it was a vote, not in principle, but on the detail, as the Bill’s sponsor Lauren Edwards said she would not accept any amendments to the Bill.

Conservative MP Mims Davies called the Bill “a mixture of naïvety, idealism and wishful thinking”.

She added: “We are being asked to send this Bill back to the other place and perhaps use the Parliament Acts to force it through regardless of fitness for purpose with all knowledge of its flaws and its lack of workability to just get it done. But that means we are not listening in to the doctors who have spoken in this place today. I cannot subscribe to this type of lawmaking”.

Independent MP Rosie Duffield urged her colleagues across the chamber not to simply pass the Bill and “hope for the best”. She expressed her concerns that safeguards were lacking, noting that “not a single disabled rights organisation or professional body supports this legislation”.

Change of heart

Labour MP Janet Daby previously voted in favour of Kim Leadbeater’s Bill, but said in today’s debate: “Following my vote in favour of assisted dying, for the following two nights, I had nightmares about dying and death.

“I had to wrestle with myself, knowing I was not entirely comfortable with the decision I had made, and my conscience was not at peace, and I could not again in good conscience vote for the Bill.”

She added: “I decided, that if the opportunity should arise again, I’d be voting against assisted dying.”

‘Consider our privilege’

Fellow Labour MP Sarah Smith said: “We must consider the privilege that we hold in this place, the confidence to challenge a doctor’s assessment, to turn down the suggestion of assisted death, the belief that we might be able to afford the care that we need when we are older, and make a true choice about how we might die.

“But we must remember that this is not the experience of most people, and certainly not the experience of those with lower levels of education, from ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities or struggling to make ends meet.

“For them, the suggestion made by a doctor may easily sound like a decision for what is best for them. For them, the likelihood of having their mental capacity accurately assessed is far less than it would be for many of us.

“For them, and indeed for most of us, the assessment around how long they have left to live is often hugely inaccurate.”

Moral opposition

Northern Irish MP Carla Lockhart explained her opposition to assisted suicide was “not only practical, but moral”, adding: “Life is precious and it deserves protection from its beginning to its natural end. That is what my Christian faith teaches me.”

She said: “This house was founded on Christian principles, this legislation is so far removed from those Christian principles. The true measure of a compassionate society is not how easily it facilitates death, but how faithfully it cares for those who are suffering.”

And Martin Vickers, a Conservative MP, also pointed to his belief that “life is God-given”, and stated: “if assisted dying is legalised we will be poorer as a society. We will have crossed a line.”

Also see:

Christians unite in prayer ahead of assisted suicide vote

Marginal groups more likely to be coerced into assisted suicide

Sunderland Uni accused of pressuring academic over assisted suicide comments

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