The bill then went to the House of Lords but a small number of opponents of the legislation have laid down so many amendments that it will not be voted on in time to make it through the current parliamentary session that ends in May. There are less than six days left for debate.
Jersey has become the second British Isles jurisdiction to approve legislation for assisted dying, though concerns persist over the slow pace of such laws reaching the statute books. The island's States Assembly passed its draft Assisted Dying Law on Thursday, a crucial step before it proceeds for royal assent to formally become law.
Jersey would have one of the safest and most transparent assisted dying laws in the world. The proposals contain strong safeguards and reflect the clear wishes of the public, who have spoken through citizens' juries and repeated surveys. For far too long, terminally ill people were denied the right to decide the manner and timing of their own deaths. Today, Jersey has changed that.
Following an emotional debate, Wales' parliament gave its consent to Westminster legislation that would allow terminally ill people to obtain a medically assisted death. The landmark bill, which is currently in the House of Lords, would legalise the practice across England and Wales if passed. The vote in Cardiff Bay was needed because the backbench law gives powers to the Welsh government to set rules for assisted dying services if it wishes to.
