HISTORY OF THE ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is currently being debated by a UK Parliament committee but the idea of assisted suicide in the UK is nothing new, it has been discussed and rejected for almost a century.
1935 "The Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society" founded by Dr C. Killick Millard, British doctor and supporter of eugenics.
1936 First attempt to introduce a bill by Lord Ponsoby called "The Voluntary Euthanasia (Legalisation) Bill.
1950 Second attempt to change the law made by Lord Chorley, President of Ethical Union (now Humanists UK).
1961 The Suicide Act decriminalises suicide but assisting suicide remains a criminal offence and can result in up to 14 years in prison.
1969 Lord Raglan proposes "Voluntary Euthanasia Bill" which is defeated.
1985 Lord Jenkins attempted to amend the suicide act to remove protections and decriminalise assisting suicide. The motion was defeated.
1993 The House of Lords allows withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for a patient in a persistent vegetative state, sparking debates about end-of-life decision-making.
2002 A terminally ill woman with motor neurone disease loses her legal bid for assisted suicide. The European Court of Human Rights upholds the UK’s ban.
2003 Not Dead Yet UK formed by Baroness Campbell of Surbiton and other disabled people; Dave Morris, Sian Vasey, Rowan Jade, Mengi Mulchandani and Kevin Fitzpatrick.
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2003 Lord Joffe introduces a bill for assisted suicide that fails. Subsequent amended versions also fail.
2005 The "Voluntary Euthanasia Society" changes its name to "Dignity in Dying".
2009 The Law Lords rule that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must clarify prosecution guidelines for assisted suicide.
2010 DPP publishes guidelines stating that prosecutions for assisting suicide are less likely if the person acted compassionately.
2014 Lord Falconer’s Assisted Suicide Bill reaches the House of Lords but fails to progress.
2015 Rob Marris MP introduces an Assisted Suicide Bill in the House of Commons; it is overwhelmingly rejected (330-118).
2019 A man with motor neurone disease, loses his case for assisted suicide at the Supreme Court.
2020 Baroness Meacher introduces another Assisted Suicide Bill in the House of Lords.
2021 The British Medical Association (BMA) shifts to a neutral stance on assisted suicide.
2022 Jersey and the Isle of Man begin considering assisted suicide.