British lawmakers have voted to allow assisted dying, a move set to make the UK one of a small handful of countries to allow terminally ill people to end their lives.

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.

A handout photograph, released by the UK Parliament, shows Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer standing and speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session in the House of Commons, in central London on November 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP/Handout/UK Parliament

British lawmakers are set to decide Friday whether to legalize assisted dying, a contentious proposal that would make the United Kingdom one of a small handful of nations to allow terminally ill people 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.

Women hug each other during a demonstration in support of assisted dying outside the British parliament after lawmakers voted in favour of the assisted dying law, in London, Britain, November 29, 2024.

The shadow environment minister will also join Victoria to discuss how MPs voted in favour of a bill this week to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.