Efforts to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales have faltered in the House of Lords after peers subjected a controversial Bill to hours of criticism in what has been described as one of the largest debates in the chamber’s history. The Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 12 September drew unusually high levels of participation, with a clear majority of peers voicing opposition.
According to figures compiled by Right To Life UK, 69 per cent of those who spoke took a stand against the Bill, compared with just 31 per cent in favour. The debate stretched well into the evening and left many observers predicting that the legislation will not progress much further.
