Is the current law cruel? Campaigners argue that the rules prevent the sickest people in society from ending their lives with dignity and compassion.
MPs get free vote on assisted dying
Is the current law cruel? Campaigners argue that the rules prevent the sickest people in society from ending their lives with dignity and compassion.
Imagine an elderly family member suffering from late-stage cancer. The doctor has given them a few months to live, which will mostly be spent in pain. One day that family member asks you to help them die. What would you do?
In Britain, people who help loved ones to die face prosecution and up to 14 years in prison. But this month Parliament will debate a new law, which would allow the sickest people in England and Wales to end their own lives.
Assisted dying means someone who is terminally illSuffering from an incurable illness. seeking medical help to kill themselves, usually with lethalto cause death drugs. Assisted suicide means helping another person to die - even if they are not terminally ill - because they no longer want to live. Then there is euthanasia, which means deliberately ending a person's life to lessen their suffering.1
Assisted dying is a controversial issue. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to give Parliament plenty of time to debate the question and let MPs decide for themselves. But many politicians are still trying to make up their minds - as are the wider public.
Those in favour argue that the current law is a mess. Lord Falconer for example, a lawyer and politician who proposed a similar bill in the House of Lords, argues that the ban on assisted dying "offers no compassion to those at the end of their lives".2
The campaign has celebrity support. Broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer, said the proposed change gave her "a glimpse of hope".3 Polling suggests that twice as many people support changing the law as support keeping it the same.4
But critics warn that any change might be a "slippery slope", that the legislation would affect more and more people over time. They worry that anyone elderly or unwell would feel pressured into ending their lives to avoid becoming a burden on their relatives.
This is what happened in Canada when a similar law was introduced in 2016, and then extended a few years later. The health minister for the province of Quebec thought it would lead to "perhaps a hundred" deaths. In 2022, that figure was 4,800.5
The new bill is being proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. She argues that any change would include "proper protections and safeguards".6 For example, two doctors would have to certify that the patient knew about the available care and was not being unfairly influenced. This model has already been tried in Australia, New Zealand and parts of the US.
But many critics doubt whether these safeguards would be sufficient. After all, the UK's health service is already stretched to breaking point. Doctors are often over-worked, meaning the system could easily be abused. Instead, they argue, more money should be spent on palliativemedical care that focuses on pain relief care.
Assisted dying is a deeply personal issue. For those who have watched family members in terrible pain, the fact that they cannot end their life seems deeply unjust. However, if the new bill makes it legal to kill the most vulnerable people in society, the consequences could be even more unfair.
Is the current law cruel?
Yes: At present, the terminally ill cannot choose when and how to end their suffering. If loved ones help them die with dignity, they are treated as criminals.
No: The current law protects the most vulnerable people in society. Legal changes could pressure them into ending their lives to avoid becoming a burden to family members.
Or... Before giving doctors the right to end patients' lives, we need to make sure the health service is properly funded. Otherwise it will be difficult to trust any legal safeguards.
Terminally ill - Suffering from an incurable illness.
lethal - to cause death
palliative - medical care that focuses on pain relief
MPs get free vote on assisted dying

Glossary
Terminally ill - Suffering from an incurable illness.
lethal - to cause death
palliative - medical care that focuses on pain relief