Assisted dying bill: MPs reject 'right to die'

New bill could have allowed patients to end their own lives if they were terminally ill

Campaigners protest against the Assisted Dying Bill
(Image credit: Justin Tallis/AFP)

MPs have voted against a bill that would have introduced a 'right to die' after their first debate on the subject in 18 years. The House of Lords debated the matter in the last parliament (see below), but their bill did not make it to the Commons.

After what the BBC describes as a "passionate" debate, 118 MPs voted in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill and 330 voted against. The bill, introduced by Labour's Rob Morris, had topped the Private Members' Bill ballot after the general election.

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