Assisted Suicide Would Be Far from Painless in the U.K.

On November 29, United Kingdom’s Parliament will vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a draft law that seeks to legalize assisted suicide in the country. The bill, which would allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients who meet specific criteria, poses immense dangers to society, particularly its most vulnerable members.

The debate over assisted suicide is not new to the U.K. Similar legislation has been proposed and rejected multiple times, most notably the Assisted Dying Bill of 2015, which was overwhelmingly defeated in Parliament by 330 votes to 118. Proposals to introduce the practice have faced opposition from a broad coalition over the years, including disability-rights advocates and medical professionals, who argue they undermine the inherent value of human life and expose vulnerable individuals to grave risks.