What is assisted dying?

Assisted dying is when a terminally ill adult with mental capacity can legally get a doctor's help to end their own life. Usually they take prescribed medication themselves. It is currently illegal across the UK. Bills to legalise it have been debated at Westminster and in Scotland since 2024.

In England and Wales, encouraging or assisting suicide is a crime carrying up to 14 years in prison. Scotland has no specific offence, but helping someone die can be prosecuted as homicide. Several countries allow some form of assisted dying, including Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, New Zealand and every Australian state. Laws differ widely on who qualifies and how.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would have allowed adults expected to die within six months to seek help. Doctors and an expert panel would check each case. MPs backed it on free votes in 2024 and 2025, but it ran out of time in the House of Lords in April 2026. A new version was introduced in the Commons in June 2026. In March 2026 the Scottish Parliament rejected its own assisted dying bill.

Supporters say dying people should have choice and control, and that the current law forces some to travel abroad or suffer. Opponents worry that vulnerable or disabled people could feel pressured. They also raise concerns about safeguards, the state of palliative care, and the role of doctors and pharmacists. Polling suggests most of the public supports a change in the law, though views shift on the detail.