Assisted dying bill returns to parliament with Parliament Act threat

The news

An MP has brought back the identical Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill after the previous version passed the Commons in June 2025 but ran out of time in the Lords. The bill would allow adults over 18 expected to die within six months to receive help to end their own life, subject to safeguards. The MP told the BBC she is asking the Lords to finish the job and warned that the Parliament Act could be used if peers block it again. The Act has been used only seven times in the last century and allows an unamended bill to become law if passed by the Commons in two consecutive sessions.

What's at stake

The legislation would create a legal route for terminally ill adults in England and Wales to obtain assistance to end their life. Bills normally require agreement from both Houses before becoming law. The Lords can propose amendments, but if they do not pass the bill before the end of the next session, the Parliament Act route could allow it to proceed without their consent. Opponents have warned that this process risks creating law despite concerns raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, disability charities and hospices.

The case for

Terminally ill adults should have the choice to end unbearable suffering. The bill sets a six-month prognosis threshold and requires safeguards before any assistance is given. Supporters argue that adults facing imminent death should not be forced to endure pain they find intolerable when they have made a settled decision to end their life.

The case against

Legalising assisted dying risks coercion and inadequate palliative care. Disability rights groups argue that such laws can undermine protections for vulnerable patients and may shift expectations around end-of-life decisions for disabled people, the elderly and those in medically underserved communities. Critics also point to the ethical obligation on doctors to do no harm and warn that insurance or cost pressures could influence choices.

Why it matters now

If the bill passes again in the Commons, peers will have roughly a year to consider it before the Parliament Act could be triggered. A yes vote would create the first statutory assisted dying framework in England and Wales. A no vote would leave the current legal position unchanged and return the issue to future parliamentary time.

Further reading

BBC News

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