British lawmakers on Friday after an historic vote embarked on a path to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill in England and Wales. The legislation, as was the initial case when it was legalized in Canada in 2016, would allow medical suicide under strict conditions. State sanctioned euthanasia is now also legal in Australia, New Zealand, Columbia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and some American states. .WATCH: Senate debates MAiD being broached by doctors to Nova Scotia woman battling breast cancer .The bill, tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, was debated for five hours in the House of Commons, and passed with a 330-275 vote, according to the BBC. MPs were given a “free” vote, which means they were told to vote based on their own conscience rather than party policy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak voted in favour, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch opposed. The vote does not immediately mean legalization — the bill must not be scrutinized by parliamentary committees, after which recommendations for amendments will be made. .Quebec bypasses criminal code in new MAiD rules allowing euthanasia for unresponsive patients.The UK bill at this time says medically assisted dying is exclusively for those who are 18 years or older and expected to live six months or less. Applicants must have approval from two independent doctors and a High Court judge to go through with it, and must demonstrate sufficient mental capacity to make the decision. They must express a "clear, settled and informed" wish to end their life without coercion or pressure. As for the process of administering the fatal drugs — that responsibility falls on the patient. A life-or-death bill has not been passed in Britain since the 1960s, when abortion was legalized in 1967 and the death penalty abolished in 1969..WATCH: MAiD doctor laughs after euthanizing 400 Canadians
