Assisted dying: What is the law in the UK and what could change?

ITV News Correspondent Stacey Foster has been talking to those most affected by the issue.
A bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales will be formally introduced in the House of Commons this week, returning the divisive debate to parliament.
The debate and first vote on the bill this week will mark the first time the issue has been voted on in the Commons in almost a decade.
An Assisted Dying Bill, which would have allowed some terminally ill adults to ask for medical help to end their life, went before the Commons in 2015 and was rejected by MPs.
So what is the current law, what is the debate around it and what could change?
What is assisted dying?
The definition of the term, and the language used, varies depending on who you ask.
Pro-change campaigners Dignity in Dying say that assisted dying allows a person with a terminal condition the choice to control their death if they decide their suffering is unbearable.
They argue that, along with good care, dying people who are terminally ill and mentally competent adults deserve the choice to control the timing and manner of their death.
But the campaign group Care Not Killing uses the terms “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia”, and argues that the focus should be on “promoting more and better palliative care” rather than any law change.
They say legalising assisted dying could “place pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden upon others” and argue the disabled, elderly, sick or depressed could be especially at risk.
What is the current law?
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
In Scotland, it is not a specific criminal offence but assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to being charged with murder or other offences.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
What changes could be made?
In March, ITV News filmed the now Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, telling assisted dying campaigner Esther Rantzen that he wanted a debate and vote on the matter within the current parliament.
Now one of his MPs, Kim Leadbeater, is bringing forward a bill on Wednesday to give choice at the end of life for the terminally ill.
When she announced her intention to bring forward the bill, Ms Leadbeater told ITV News that it was “important to have this debate”, adding:
“I believe the law should change. My view is that at the moment the law is not fit for purpose, it doesn’t give people the choice they deserve. We all deserve a good life and where possible the right to a good death.
“I think there’s a huge amount of support for choice at the end of life.”
A debate and first vote are expected to take place on November 29.
If the bill – the formal title of which will be announced on Wednesday – passes the first stage in the Commons, it will go to committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before facing further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Ms Leadbeater’s bill applies only to England and Wales.
Are MPs guaranteed a vote on the bill next month?
No. Bills such as this are known as private member’s bills (PMBs) and are considered during Friday sittings. The time available to consider them is from 9.30am until 2.30pm.
If the debate is still ongoing at 2.30pm then it is adjourned and the bill falls to the bottom of the list, which means it is highly unlikely to make any further progress.
A closure motion can be moved to curtail the debate and force a vote. It may be moved at any time during proceedings.
On Friday sittings, an MP seeking to move such a motion tends to do so at around 1pm. If approved, the House then votes on whether or not to give the bill a second reading.
If rejected, the House resumes the debate and the bill is unlikely to progress.
What is happening in other parts of the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies?
A similar Assisted Dying Bill in the Isle of Man passed a third reading in July, and is due to be debated further later this month, and assisted dying could be available to its citizens from 2027.
In May, Jersey’s parliament voted in favour of drawing up laws to establish an assisted dying service on the island for terminally ill people and, if the law is approved, the earliest it could come into effect would also be spring 2027.
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur published a Bill in March at Holyrood that, if passed, will allow people living in Scotland with a terminal illness to be given help to end their life.
It is the third attempt to make assisted dying legal in Scotland after two bills were previously voted down.
Any move to legalise assisted dying in Northern Ireland would have to be passed by politicians in the devolved Assembly at Stormont.
In the Republic of Ireland, a committee recommended in March that legislation allowing for assisted dying in certain restricted circumstances should be introduced but it led to a split, with some committee members arguing the case for assisted dying “has not been established”.
A Voluntary Assisted Dying private member’s bill was introduced in the Irish parliament in June and is in the early stages.
How have campaigners reacted?
The issue of assisted dying continues to be passionately debated by campaigners on both sides. Some high-profile voices have shared their opposition to the bill, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
He said: “I think this approach is both dangerous and sets us in a direction which is even more dangerous, and in every other place where it’s been done, has led to a slippery slope.”
Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, said the Bill “sends a dog whistle message to the terminally ill, vulnerable, elderly and disabled people, especially those on low or fixed incomes that their lives are worth less than others” and has called for more focus on improving access to palliative care.
Meanwhile, those in favour of the bill being passed have called the moment “bittersweet” – and expressed their disappointed at its current scope.
George Smith, whose mother died alone on her bathroom floor having taken her own life as she faced “excruciating pain” from a nerve condition, said his family is “hugely disappointed” that the Bill will not be wider.
He said: “Although a step in the right direction, this Bill would not have made any difference for my mum and so we feel compelled to keep on campaigning.
“Arguably it is worse living with unbearable long term pain with no end in sight than with a terminal illness where one knows there will be an end.”
Dame Esther Rantzen, who has vocally backed the Bill, has urged the public to write to their MPs to support “the right to choose, not to shorten our lives, but to shorten our deaths”.
How divided is public opinion?
Research by the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group at King’s College London (KCL) in September suggested almost two-thirds of people in England and Wales want assisted dying to be legalised for terminally ill adults in the next five years.
But it showed the changeable nature of some people’s views, with some of those voicing support saying they could change their minds if they felt someone had been pressured into choosing an assisted death or had made the choice due to lack of access to care.
Overall, the polling found a fifth (20%) of people said they do not want assisted dying to be legalised in the next five years, while 63% said they do.
Campaigners from Care Not Killing said this polling showed public support for what they term “assisted suicide” had lessened in the past decade and highlighted the statistics around those who are concerned about people feeling pressure to end their lives.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…