UK lawmakers vote down bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales

On two previous occasions in 2024 and 2025, the elected House of Commons had backed the bill, but it didn't become law because it was effectively filibustered by unelected lawmakers in the revising House of Lords chamber.

The bill had proposed allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

The government took a neutral stance, saying it was a matter of conscience.

The new U.K. leader, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, didn't vote because he said he didn't want to “unduly influence the debate."

Opponents branded the bill unsafe and unworkable, citing concerns around potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities.

Lawmaker and cancer surgeon Dr. Zubir Ahmed also noted uncertainty around a doctor’s prognosis.

“I have to be honest with you,” he said. “When I am asked to prognosticate as to whether someone has six months to live or not, I am as often wrong as I am right.”

Proponents of “ assisted dying ” — sometimes referred to as “assisted suicide” — had hoped it would mark the biggest change to social policy in the U.K. since abortion was partially legalized in 1967. The intention was to put an end to the practice of those near the end of their lives going to other countries, such as Switzerland, for an assisted death.

Assisted suicide — where patients take a lethal drink prescribed by a doctor — is legal in countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and parts of the U.S., with regulations on qualifying criteria varying by jurisdiction.

In July, French lawmakers backed a similar bill to allow adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. However, it hasn't become law, because there will be a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.