Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Progresses Amid Extensive Scrutiny in UK Parliament
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a private member's bill introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October 2024, proposes to allow adults aged 18 and over who are expected to die within six months to receive assistance to end their life under strict safeguards.
In November 2024, MPs backed the bill in principle. Subsequently, a cross-party committee reviewed more than 500 proposed amendments before passing the bill to the House of Lords in June 2025.
The House of Lords is currently conducting a detailed, line-by-line examination of the bill. As of December 2025, it had completed the fourth day of a scheduled 14-day scrutiny period and proposed over 1,000 amendments, setting a record for backbench amendments.
For the bill to become law, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords must agree on its final wording before the current parliamentary session concludes in spring. Notably, private member's bills cannot be carried over into the next session if not passed.
The government maintains a neutral stance on the bill, treating it as a matter of conscience. It has not allocated specific government time for debates on the bill, though the Lords' chief whip has granted an additional 10 Friday debate sessions to facilitate consideration.
Supporters of the bill have expressed concern that the volume of amendments and resultant delays may be tactics aimed at obstructing the bill’s passage, while opponents emphasize the necessity of rigorous safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent coercion.
A potential, but unprecedented, use of the Parliament Act to force the bill through Parliament has been discussed; the last invocation of this act was in 2004 concerning fox-hunting legislation.
Separately, Scotland is advancing a distinct bill to legalise assisted dying. This bill has passed an initial vote at Holyrood and requires further scrutiny before it can become law.
