What's next for the assisted dying bill? What is assisted dying and will it become legal in the UK?

• MPs voted in favour of the assisted dying bill on November 29.
• The newly proposed law could legalise assisted dying for those who are terminally ill in England and Wales.
• When passed, it means that terminally ill adults who are not expected to live longer than six months could be given the right to choose to end their life.

The assisted dying bill was put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and if legalised could give terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months to live the choice to end their lives.

MPs voted in favour of the bill on November 29, by a majority of 55 votes. It will now begin the next stages as it goes towards a Public Bill Committee.

The bill is controversial due to concerns over whether vulnerable people could be pressured or coerced into assisted dying, as well as the inadequate palliative care services that are currently available to terminally ill patients.

MPs voted in favour of the assisted dying bill in November, so what happens next? Here’s everything you need to know.

What’s next for the assisted dying bill?

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater formally introduced the bill in October, with it passing the vote from MPs on November 29.

Any change in the law will not come for some time, the next stage will see the bill go to a Public Bill Committee, which will be made up of a group of MPs who will examine the Private Member’s Bill.

A committee is usually made up of around 18 MPs and is chaired by a senior backbencher who is picked by the Speaker. The committee for the assisted dying bill will include Leadbeater and a public minister and is expected to include both supporters and opponents of assisted dying for balance.

The committee stage is the longest stage of passing a bill, unlike a government bill, there is no limit to how long a committee can spend on Private Member’s Bill. The earliest it could meet is December 11, with consideration of the bill not likely until Spring 2025.

What is assisted dying?

Assisted dying, also known as assisted suicide, is “ the act of deliberately assisting another person to kill themselves”.

The NHS explain that if a relative of someone with a terminal illness purchased medication knowing the person intended to end their life with them, they may be considered to be assisting suicide, which is illegal under the Suicide Act (1961) and is punishable by up to 14 years' in jail.

Will assisted dying become legal in the UK?

MPs have voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales but the bill is still in the scrutiny stage and assisted dying is still illegal under the Suicide Act and punishable by up to 14 years in jail.

Under proposals for the bill, there would be requirements for anyone wishing to access assisted dying. The person would have to be an adult, over the age of 18-years-old, be terminally ill and have six months left to live, be a resident in Wales or England and have been registered with a GP for at least 12 months.

They also would have to meet the mental capacity to make the decision and to have expressed a clear, settled, informed wish, free from coercion about their choice to end their life. They must also make two separate witnessed and signed declarations about their wish to die.

Two independent doctors must be satisfied they are eligible and there must be at least seven days between the doctors’ assessments. A High Court judge must also hear from one of the doctors and can question the terminally ill person or anyone else they consider appropriate and there must be a further 14 days after the judge has made their ruling for a period of reflection.

The assisted dying bill would make it illegal for anyone to pressure, coerce or use dishonesty to get someone to make a declaration that they wish to end their life, with anyone found guilty of doing so facing 14 years in prison.

The Samaritans can offer information and support for anyone affected by the content of this article. You can call their helpline on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK.