By Laura Hollis
England and Wales are preparing to legalize assisted suicide after the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill” passed the House of Commons in June and moved to the House of Lords. The legislation has faced criticism, including from former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who labeled it the “license to kill Bill.” May warned that such a law would normalize suicide and send harmful messages about the value of lives among the elderly, mentally ill, and disabled.
Kim Leadbetter, the Labour Party MP who introduced the bill, repeated assurances that its powers would not be abused and that it does not devalue vulnerable populations. Proponents argue that assisted suicide will initially be restricted to terminally ill adults with less than six months to live. However, physicians note that predicting life expectancy is nearly impossible even with terminal diagnoses.
Critics warn the bill’s trajectory is predictable: expanding access to include mental illness, unhappiness, and eventually minors. Advocates have celebrated its passage as a “triumph of facts over fear,” despite evidence from countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada where euthanasia has expanded beyond terminal illnesses. In the Netherlands, deaths for psychiatric reasons rose 10,000% between 2010 and 2024, including cases like a woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder who ended her life over cleaning limitations. The country now permits euthanasia for children as young as 12. Belgium eliminated age limits in 2014, while Canada’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” law has resulted in over 60,000 deaths in nine years, despite restrictions on minors and mental illness.
Shortages in healthcare systems further raise concerns. England’s National Health Service faces delays in cancer diagnoses due to staffing and resource gaps, while Canada struggles with lengthy wait times for critical care. These challenges risk making euthanasia a cost-saving measure rather than a compassionate choice. Cases like that of Canadian veteran Christine Gauthier, who was offered medical assistance in dying instead of a wheelchair ramp, highlight the ethical dilemmas.
The article also critiques broader trends in Western societies, including rising abortion rates and the normalization of gender-affirming procedures. It argues these shifts reflect a decline in traditional values, linking them to the erosion of Christianity, which it claims has historically underpinned medical advancements and societal progress. The piece concludes by warning that abandoning faith risks reducing human life to a transactional commodity, with England’s new law symbolizing a dangerous departure from Western civilization’s foundations.
Laura Hollis is an attorney and university professor whose legal work has appeared in multiple academic journals. Her columns have been published in numerous outlets.
