As the House of Commons vote on the draft assisted dying bill nears, more MPs have revealed whether or not they will back the plans.
Supporters hope to see the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill clear its first hurdle on the way to being signed into law.
If approved, it could pave the way for terminally ill adults given less than six months to live to end their lives.
But the initiative faces an uncertain future after several leading parliamentarians signalled their opposition, while others have remained non-committal.
What have MPs said about how they plan to vote on the bill?
The House of Commons last held a vote on assisted dying in 2015, when proposals were roundly rejected by a margin of 329 to 117.
The huge influx of new MPs since the general election in July means the previous result is unlikely to offer much indication of what parliament might thing this time around.
But what is clear is that divisions remain, with little sense of consensus on the issue emerging.
Keir Starmer has previously indicated support for assisted dying, but has so far declined to say how he plans to vote on the draft bill next week, insisting he would not “say or do anything that will put pressure on other people in relation to their vote”.
As assisted dying is considered a matter of conscience, MPs have been told they will have a free vote, without interference from their political parties.
Ed Miliband was among the first to come out in support of the bill.
However, health secretary Wes Streeting has said he will oppose it, prompting criticism from the bill’s backers.
He has also ordered the Department of Health to analyse the costs of implementing any law changes resulting from the vote.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is also reported to be against it.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves however has so far joined Starmer in declining to give her view, saying she will be “looking at all the evidence ahead of the vote in Parliament”.
Along with the moral qualms, some MPs have also expressed concern at the speed with which they are being asked to make a judgement.
Parliament’s longest serving MPs, Sir Edward Leigh and Diane Abbott, have made a joint plea for colleagues to reject assisted dying legislation, and allow for more time to consider the “immense complexities” of the issue.
The prospect of any MP voicing their opinion in public has been criticised. Labour peer Baroness Harriet Harman said Streeting had “crossed the line” in saying how he was going to vote as she believed that “breaches neutrality”.
What is in the Bill?
The draft law was introduced to the House of Commons by Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater on 16 October – although the full text was not actually published until almost a month later.
There are several requirements for someone to be eligible under the proposed law.
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The person must be an adult – aged 18 or older – and be resident in England and Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months.
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They must have the mental capacity to make a choice about the end of their life and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish – free from coercion or pressure – to end their life.
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They must be terminally ill and be expected to die within six months.
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They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed, about their wish to die.
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The process must involve two independent doctors being satisfied the person is eligible and the medics can consult a specialist in the person’s condition and get an assessment from an expert in mental capacity if deemed necessary.
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A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors regarding the application and can also question the dying person as well as anyone else they consider appropriate.
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There must be at least seven days between the two doctors making their assessments and a further 14 days after the judge has made a ruling, for the person to have a period of reflection on their decision.
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For someone whose death is expected imminently, the 14-day period could be reduced to 48 hours.
What safeguards are there?
It would be illegal for someone to pressure, coerce or use dishonesty to get someone to make a declaration that they wish to end their life or to induce someone to self-administer an approved substance.
If someone is found guilty of either of these actions, they could face a jail sentence of up to 14 years.
When is the vote and what happens next?
The bill is scheduled to be debated by MPs for the first time on Friday 29 November.
If approved, it will go to the committee stage, where MPs can table amendments, before it faces more debate and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.
A defeat in the House of Commons would stop the bill in its tracks, as happened in 2015.