New assisted dying bill rejected by MPs

MPs have voted not to press ahead with a fresh attempt to legalise assisted dying

 

A new Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced by Lauren Edwards MP in June, but fell at its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday, 11 September with 270 MPs voting for and 286 voting against. 

This followed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP in 2024. That Bill passed through the House of Commons but did not complete its passage through the House of Lords before the end of the 2024–26 parliamentary session and therefore did not become law.

The new bill largely reproduced the legislation previously approved by the House of Commons in June 2025. It would have allowed adults with fewer than six months to live to apply to be given help to end their own life, subject to certain safeguards.

Organisations and individuals have shared their reaction to the vote.

Danny Webster, director of advocacy and research for the Evangelical Alliance, said, 'Parliament has voted to reject dangerous and unworkable plans that would have put the most vulnerable at risk. It is essential that people, especially the vulnerable, are treated with care and compassion at the end of their lives and not encouraged to end their lives early. 

'With the rejection of assisted suicide, we continue to call on the government to ensure palliative care provides the best possible support for people at the end of life.'

Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE (Christian, Action, Research and Education) said, 'Today, MPs have voted to protect the most vulnerable by rejecting this dangerous and irredeemably flawed assisted suicide Bill.
 
'Overseas evidence overwhelmingly shows the same story, that if you open this Pandora’s Box, the numbers of assisted suicides go up and the criterion for eligibility always gets expanded.

'MPs rightly have said that there is also a pressing need to fix palliative and social care and this is surely right.

'Too many people cannot access high-quality end of life care when they really need it, and we therefore agree with MPs from across the House that this must be urgently addressed. 

'We will therefore work with Parliamentarians to improve access to palliative care, and we will continue to be an advocate for life and for the most vulnerable in our communities.' 

Kim Leadbeater, the MP who introduced the 2024 bill, believes it will come back to Parliament. 

Speaking to the BBC, she said, 'It is a matter of time before we introduce that legislation and it does get passed.'    

Both Jersey and the Isle of Man have successfully passed assisted dying legislation through their respective parliaments.

In Jersey, the law has Royal Assent and is undergoing an 18-month implementation period to recruit staff, train healthcare professionals, and set up regulatory safeguards. 

In the Isle of Man, Tynwald was the first to approve the concept in early 2025, but the legislation ran into temporary delays. It has however, continued to move forward and is currently awaiting Royal Assent. Church's voiced their 'sadness and deep concern' here. 
 

Following the introduction of Ms Leadbeater's bill in 2024, we created a section on the Baptists Together website exploring the issues and signposting to further resources. This included an area highlighting Baptist responses.  

Image | Brett Jordan | Pexels