The House of Commons voted to reject the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill last week. Some 286 MPs voted against the proposed legislation and 270 in favour, ending another attempt to introduce assisted suicide in England and Wales. The Bill, which was introduced by the MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards, would have legalised assisted suicide for people aged 18 and over who are expected to die within six months.
The bishops of England and Wales had focused extensively on encouraging the faithful to contact their MPs to vote against the Bill, which was a reintroduction of the legislation introduced by Kim Leadbeater and which fell in the House of Lords in April.
