A proposed bill to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives is set to fall on Friday (April 24, 2026) as parliamentary time runs out, nearly a year since elected members of parliaments gave their backing.
Though the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed by the House of Commons last June, the U.K.'s revising chamber, the House of Lords, has effectively talked it out since then.
Proponents of what has been termed “ assisted dying ” — sometimes referred to as “assisted suicide” — hoped it would mark the biggest change to social policy in the U.K. since abortion was partially legalised in 1967.
But opponents in the House of Lords have managed to hold up its passing by filing more than 1,200 amendments to the bill. That is believed to be a record high number for a piece of legislation that was tabled by a backbencher rather than by the government. Bills proposed by backbenchers can only be debated on a Friday (April 24, 2026), limiting the time available.
With the current session coming to an end next week, the bill will fail. Each five-year parliamentary term is subdivided into a number of sessions of the government's calling, and bills can only become law if they are discussed and voted on within a single session.
