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British parliament rejects the bill on legalization of euthanasia for the terminally ill
The initiative was supported by only 118 deputies, while 330 voted against it.
The initiative was supported by only 118 deputies, while 330 voted against it.
The British parliament has rejected a bill whose authors advocated the legalization of euthanasia for the terminally ill patients in the United Kingdom, TASS reports. The initiative was supported by only 118 deputies, while 330 voted against it. The bill was drafted by a member of parliament from the opposition Labor Party Rob Marris, who proposes to allow voluntary departure from life for patients who, according to doctors' estimates, have less than six months of life ahead.
It was assumed that the fateful decision would be taken with the participation of at least two medical experts, as well as a judge of the Supreme Court. The bill emphasized that a doctor may abstain from participating in the process in case if euthanasia is not consistent with his or her moral principles. In addition, before making the final decision, the special commission had to assure that the patient is in satisfactory mental health state in order to be confident in patient's ability to express his/her will rationally.
Today's vote on euthanasia was already the third one in the history of the British Parliament. The last time the deputies expressed their opinions on this issue in 1997.
