The vote by MPs in England and Wales to legalize assisted dying is historic.
That means such a law is one step closer to passing, but it’s just one step on a road that could last months. Even then, it could take two years for the legislation to take effect.
The Terminal Illness (End of Life) Bill must also clear a number of parliamentary hurdles before it becomes law, with five stages being dealt with by MPs and a further five stages being dealt with by peers, as well as a further vote.
If it completes the process successfully, we Can see changes in law Allowing some terminally ill adults expected to die within six months to seek help to end their lives.
Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the bill, told the House of Commons that any new laws would take up to two years to be implemented because “it’s more important to get it right than to do it quickly”.
But there’s also a chance the bill could be vetoed and never become law at all.
The measure was introduced by Labor MP Leadbeater as a Private Members’ Bill (PMB), a way for backbenchers to introduce new laws outside the government’s agenda.
It was also raised as a matter of conscience, meaning MPs were free to vote based on their beliefs rather than their party.
The first reading of the bill is just a formality, with Leadbeater reading the name of the bill in the House of Commons and setting a date for the next stage.
The real debate among MPs takes place during Friday’s second reading.
At the end of the debate, Leadbeater’s bill received support in principle by 330 votes to 275.
The bill will now undergo scrutiny at committee stage, where it will be scrutinized line by line by a small group of MPs.
Next comes the reporting phase, which allows any MP to propose amendments. The Speaker of the House of Commons decides which issues are debated and voted on.
After that, MPs have one last chance to vote for or against the bill in what is called third reading – some may change their minds – before Lords members must repeat all five stages.
If the nobles do not make any further changes, the bill will be sent to the king for royal assent, making the law officially an Act of Parliament.
There must also be a funding resolution authorizing any expenditures required by the bill. Only the government can propose funding resolutions.
The government may decide to intervene in the parliamentary process, changing some of the normal procedures that apply to the PMB from now on, such as allowing the House of Commons more time during the reporting stage.
But so far it has not said it plans to do so.
The PMB’s committee does not normally have the power to call experts to give evidence, but MPs approved a motion immediately after Friday’s main vote to allow it to do so.
The PMB does not hold regular committee meetings, which may give additional time to review legislation.
The Prime Minister, who voted for the bill, said a government impact assessment would be conducted and published as the bill progresses.
Another issue is that the ministers of the two main departments responsible for implementing the legislation – Health Minister Wes Streeting and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmoud – were among the MPs who opposed the bill on Friday.
All bills must complete the parliamentary stage before the end of this year’s parliamentary session. These are not set in stone.
The subsequent reporting phase will need to take place during the Friday meeting reserved for the PMB and will only take place from 25 April.
In practice, this means that the committee stage needs to be completed quickly to allow sufficient time for the remaining stages of the bill to proceed.
A particular risk to the passage of the bill may be that if many amendments are proposed during the report stage, Parliament may not have time to debate them all.
Throughout the parliamentary process, lobbying from both parties will continue to solidify support and change MPs’ minds in time for a final vote.
