Calls for a change in the law have gained fresh momentum in recent months thanks to campaigning by the prominent British broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who disclosed that she has lung cancer and had joined Dignitas, the assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.
Views at the top of government are split on the subject, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband describing the current law as “cruel” and vowing to back the legislation.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted in favor of assisted dying back in 2015 but has declared himself conflicted, warning that end-of-life care is not good enough in the U.K. to truly give people the freedom to choose.
There are particularly strong objections to the reform from disabled people. Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former paralympian and crossbench peer, told the BBC she was opposed over concerns “about the impact on vulnerable people.”
Medical professionals and religious leaders have also voiced doubts, although opposition is not universal.
Switzerland, Austria, Canada and 11 U.S. states all have legalized forms of assisted dying, while in the U.K. Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man are also considering changes to the law.
