A new assisted dying law in England and Wales may take up to four years to be fully implemented. This is because the bill will incorporate additional safeguards during its consideration in Parliament.
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03-26, 2025A spokesperson for Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, the bill's sponsor, stated that the four-year timeframe is a "final backstop," but acknowledged that amendments to the bill—including the establishment of a new committee to oversee applications—will "inevitably take longer to implement." Supporters of the bill had previously expressed hope that assisted dying would be accessible within two years of the law being signed into effect.
If approved, the bill would allow terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live to seek assistance to end their lives. Opponents warn that people may be pressured into ending their lives and advocate for improved palliative care. However, supporters argue that the law needs to be changed because some people experience terrible deaths even with good end-of-life or palliative care.
In response to the extended implementation timeline, a source opposing the bill told the BBC, "This shows how far it is from being safe. If they need four years to sort it out, that shows there are still so many problems with the bill." Members of Parliament are scrutinizing the proposed law line by line in a committee and debating amendments. The committee hopes to complete its review of the bill on Tuesday evening.
Leadbeater's spokesperson said: "Kim has always been clear that it is important to get assisted dying legislation right, not to do it quickly. The bill now includes stronger safeguards than when it was first introduced, including a new judge-led Voluntary Assisted Dying Committee and multi-disciplinary panels to review each application. These measures will inevitably take longer to implement. But the four-year timeframe is not a target, it is a final backstop. Kim hopes and believes that if the bill becomes law later this year, the service can be available sooner." In November 2024, MPs voted in favor of a proposal to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales, with a historic vote of 330 in favor and 275 against.
Members of Parliament had a free vote on the issue, meaning they could make their own decisions rather than following party instructions. The government remains neutral on the matter. The bill still needs to undergo months of detailed scrutiny and further votes in Parliament before it can become law. The parliamentary committee scrutinizing the bill has already made some amendments. For example, under the original proposal, a High Court judge would have had to approve each request to end life. But Leadbeater suggested that a panel of three, consisting of a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist, and a social worker, should oversee applications. The MPs scrutinizing the bill have agreed to adopt this approach.
Currently, laws across the UK prohibit people from seeking medical assistance to die. However, the Isle of Man, part of the British Isles, has agreed to proposed laws granting terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their lives. While still illegal in most countries, more than 300 million people now live in countries where assisted dying is legal. Since 2015, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Austria have all introduced assisted dying laws.
