POLITICIANS IN WESTMINSTER today voted in favour of progressing a bill that would legalise assisted dying. 

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.

Assisted suicide is currently banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. 

However, the proposed new legislation, if implemented, would only apply to England and Wales.

So will it affect Northern Ireland?

The short answer is no.

In Northern Ireland, assisted dying is a devolved matter, meaning it is up to elected politicians in Stormont to decide if they want to change the law there.

There is currently no such bill going through Stormont, but the Westminster vote could restart the conversation.

Scotland’s bill

The vote on the Westminster bill has coincided with parliamentary scrutiny of a similar bill in Scotland.

In Scotland, there is no specific criminal offence for assisting someone who wants to die, but it can leave a person open to being charged with murder or other offences.

The Scottish proposal differs slightly to that of Westminster. Eligibility requires being a resident of Scotland for at least a year, being registered with a GP in the country, and being mentally competent.

But, unlike the Westminster bill, the person would also have to be capable of taking the medication to end their life by themselves.

What have parties in Northern Ireland said about assisted dying?

Generally, more left-leaning parties support assisted dying in some form, while more conservative parties follow religious teachings.

The Democratic Unionist Party had voiced concerns that it would wrongfully force the hand of chruch-owned hospices.

DUP MP for Strangford, Jim Shannon, said: “The very ethos of the church-owned hospices is the sanctity of life, the Bible is very clear what it says in relation to that and the church-owned hospices will reflect that in what they do.

“Does the church commissioner share my concern in relation to what could or could not happen tomorrow in relation to the assisted dying bill and the fact that there could be a conflict between church-owned hospices and this House?”

Archbishop Eamon Martin, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, had also called on Northern Ireland MPs to reject bill.

In contrast, both Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) have spoken out in favour of assisted dying, with the latter party’s leader, Colum Eastwood, saying the bill offers enough safeguards to prevent coercian or abuse.

Eastwood told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that he had “always felt that some of form of legislation to deal with this issue was important”.

I honestly think there isn’t a family in Northern Ireland that hasn’t been affected by somebody who had to suffer at the end of their life.

Eastwood said it was difficult to reach a decision on how he’d vote, but that he believes in the “sanctity of life” as well as “dignity in death”.

He said that the “onerous” process to avail of assisted dying under the proposed legislation had given him confidence that people wouldn’t “feel under pressure”.

Sinn Féin in March told the BBC it would “in principle” support assisted dying.

A spokesperson said: “In principle we support legislating for assisted dying in certain circumstances and with robust safeguards, but the legislation should only be progressed once the appropriate services and supports are available.”

Those “appropriate” services and supports would include counselling and palliative care.

What does the England and Wales bill include?

The proposed legislation would have strict criteria for anyone who wants to end their life.

According to the bill, those wishing to avail of assisted dying must be over 18, live in England and Wales, and have been registered with a GP for at least one year.

The bill would only be available to those expected to die within six months, and applicants would be required to make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die.

Under the proposals, a High Court judge would have to rule each time a person makes a request to end their life. After the judge’s ruling, a patient would have to wait 14 days before acting.

A doctor would prepare the substance being used to end the patient’s life, but the person would take it themselves. The bill does not say which drug would be used.

In cases where the patient has received approval to receive the substance but is physically unable to self-administer, a doctor can assist that person to ingest or otherwise administer the substance.

With reporting by the Press Association