Hold a parliamentary vote on assisted dying
This petition gathered 212,107 signatures between 5 January 2024 and 29 May 2024, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 22 February 2024. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 29 April 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Hold a parliamentary vote on assisted dying
This petition calls for the Government to allocate Parliamentary time for assisted dying to be fully debated in the House of Commons and to give MPs a vote on the issue. Terminally ill people who are mentally sound and near the end of their lives should not suffer unbearably against their will.
We believe dying people in the UK should have the option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives with dignity, through a safe and compassionate system with strict eligibility criteria and safeguards. Without this, too many are taking matters into their own hands with tragic consequences. The Daily Express and Dignity in Dying support Dame Esther Rantzen's call for a free vote. The time has come to Give Us Our Last Rights.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 22 February 2024; the petitions site lists the Ministry of Justice as responsible. Its summary:
It remains the Government’s view that any change to the law in this sensitive area is a matter for Parliament to decide.
The response in full:
The Government has the utmost sympathy for anyone experiencing the pain of watching a loved one deal with a life-threatening or degenerative condition.
Whether there are any circumstances in which it should not be an offence to assist another person to die is something on which there are passionately held but deeply divided views. Even amongst those who support a change in the law, there are differing ideas on where the line should be drawn, what safeguards should be in place and for whom. Conversely, others feel strongly that the law should not be changed and that safeguards will not necessarily give enough protection to vulnerable people who may feel pressure, whether real or perceived, to end their own lives.
It remains the Government’s view that any change to the law in this sensitive area is a matter for Parliament to decide and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than one for government policy. Parliament has debated this issue on several occasions, most recently in July 2022, but has so far voted against proposals to legalise assisted dying.
There is a significant amount of government legislation planned in this session and there is, as always, pressure on the government’s timetable. However, the Government is committed to providing time to the Backbench Business Committee which gives MPs the opportunity to bring forward debates of their choice and MPs also have the option of introducing Private Members' Bills which provide MPs with an opportunity to address public concerns and to change the law.
If the will of Parliament is that the law on assisting suicide should change, the Government would not stand in its way, but would seek to ensure that the law could be enforced in the way that Parliament intended.
Ministry of Justice
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 748, came from Isle of Wight.
210,316 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,791 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | 748 |
| West Dorset | 677 |
| Somerton and Frome | 667 |
| East Lothian | 648 |
| Bexhill and Battle | 647 |
| Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | 611 |
| Chichester | 609 |
| Arundel and South Downs | 608 |
| Gordon | 608 |
| East Devon | 597 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 35,552 |
| South West | 25,064 |
| Scotland | 24,425 |
| East of England | 21,534 |
| North West | 20,345 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 16,401 |
| West Midlands | 15,364 |
| East Midlands | 15,078 |
| London | 13,529 |
| Wales | 10,596 |
| North East | 8,775 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,352 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 29 April 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/653593.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
8b7c00ecb62b392a… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.