Dr Blaber is against moves to legalise assisted dying, and said, if a new law was passed, vulnerable patients without access to good quality palliative care could feel pressure to end their lives.

The bill, modeled after Oregon’s law, would apply to terminally ill patients and could usher in one of the most dramatic social changes Britain has seen in years.

Lawmakers in Britain gave initial approval to a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives in England and Wales in a vote in the House of Commons on Friday.

Labour MP for Rother Valley, and co-sponsor of the Bill – said the proceedings showed “Parliament at its best”. This is an incorrect assessment.

In a historic vote, lawmakers advanced a bill that would grant the option of assisted dying to those in England and Wales with a terminal diagnosis and a life expectancy of six months or less.

Lawmakers in the United Kingdom voted in favour of a bill to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to end their lives with medical help, legislation that has stirred up a national debate about dignity in death and end-of-life care.

British lawmakers started a historic debate Friday on a proposal to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales, an issue that has divided Parliament as well as the country at large.