Legalisation of assisted dying in England, Wales rejected

An attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has been rejected by MPs.

Passionate speeches in favour and against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill were heard during a more than four-hour debate in the House of Commons in London.

The measure was rejected by a majority of 16 - 286 votes against and 270 votes in favour.

A small group of MPs cheered and pumped their fists while others could be seen hugging as the result was announced.

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

Labour MP Lauren Edwards reintroduced the proposal after it ran out of time earlier this year.

She described the outcome as "hugely disappointing" and "heartbreaking" for those who are terminally ill and their loved ones.

"Assisted Dying will come in this country, as it is already doing all across the world, but not soon enough.

"Parliament has dropped the ball today. It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand," Ms Edwards said.

She had warned that it could be another decade before the issue came before politicians again if the bill did not pass.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he would not vote on the proposed legislation so as not to "unduly influence the debate".

The government was neutral on the issue and MPs voted according to their consciences rather than along party lines.

Campaigners against the bill argued that it contained inadequate safeguards and could result in some of the most vulnerable people being at risk of coercion and choosing an assisted death because they felt like a burden.

Opposition to the measure had been voiced by leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Archbishop Richard Moth, who described it as "wrong in principle" and "deeply flawed".

It was opposed too by Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the principal leader of the Church of England.

Medical bodies, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, had also raised "serious concerns" about the bill, saying there were "too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness".

Terminally ill MP Ashley Dalton, who voted against the bill, warned that was "not a moment for celebration" and called on the government to "sort out social and palliative care".

Previously, Mr Burnham said that he believed the funding of palliative care needed to be fixed before consideration could be given to legalising assisted dying.

But Ms Edwards insisted that both were possible alongside each other.

Marie Curie, Hospice UK and St Christopher’s Hospice charity were all neutral on the principle of assisted dying.

However, they repeatedly warned that access to and quality of end-of-life care was too patchy across England and Wales and the sector was severely lacking in funding.

"The need for more urgent and ambitious action to fix end-of-life care could not be clearer," the organisations said.

Following the vote, Hospice UK's Toby Porter said it was time for opponents and supporters of the bill to "channel their energy and passion into fixing" what he described as a "hospice funding crisis".

He added: "The prime minister has recently stated the need to fix palliative care funding. His support is welcome, but his words must now be accompanied by meaningful action."