MPs vote to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales
MPs have voted to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales by a narrow margin of 23 votes.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed with 314 votes for and 291 against in a vote this afternoon (20 June).
It will allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to receive medical assistance to end their own lives.
Related Article: Assisted dying bill: Two-thirds of GPNs ‘supportive’ but less sure on nurse involvement
MPs were given a ‘free vote’ on the bill, meaning they could vote independently rather than follow a party line.
In the bill, nurses are referred to under the title of ‘health professional’, which includes registered nurses, registered medical prescribers, a registered pharmacist or a registered pharmacy technician.
The bill states that the ‘coordinating doctor’ who is overseeing the patient’s end-of-life care provision may be accompanied by ‘other such health professionals’ – including nurses – that they think are needed.
However, no registered medical practitioner or ‘other health professional’ would be under any ‘duty’ to participate in assisted dying provision.
The bill will next go to the House of Lords for scrutiny.
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In May, an exclusive Nursing in Practice survey found that two-thirds of general practice nursing staff are supportive of the assisted dying bill, but less are sure on their involvement in providing care to support it.
In January, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Professor Nicola Ranger, told a parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill that it is ‘pertinent’ that nursing staff ‘can build on the skills they already have’ to provide end-of-life care which each patient deserves via the appropriate education and training.
Last year, the UK’s chief nursing officers (CNOs) published advice to nurses and midwives wanting to take part in the assisted dying debate.
Related Article: Nurse MPs among split opinions as assisted dying bill vote passes
The CNOs said they would not be adopting an ‘official professional stance’ on the matter, instead choosing to wait for the outcome of the vote in Parliament.
Changes to the bill which were passed during the report stage included:
- New clauses 12 to 15, 20, and 21 – introducing new provisions, including: a prohibition on the advertisement of assisted dying; measures to regulate the substances and devices used in assisted dying; an exemption of assisted deaths from the definition of ‘unnatural deaths’ under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
- New clause 2 – prohibiting any health professional from raising assisted dying with a person under the age of 18
- Amendment 14 – clarifying that a person cannot be considered terminally ill only because they voluntarily stopped eating or drinking
- Amendment 21 – requiring the Government to publish an assessment of palliative and end of life care within within a year of the law passing
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
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