Citizens’ jury calls for legalisation of assisted dying

A groundbreaking citizens’ jury has recommended that assisted dying should be legalised, with 20 out of 28 members supporting changing the law. Humanists UK welcomes the report, and hopes that politicians in the UK follow the public’s will to legalise assisted dying.

The jury, commissioned by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, comprising a representative cross-section of the English population, looked at this topic in depth over an eight-week period. The jury engaged in extensive deliberations, hearing from a wide array of experts, including Humanists UK, before reaching their decision. A significant majority, 20 out of 28 members, supported changing the law to allow the terminally ill to have a compassionate death. Seven members did not support legalisation, with one undecided.

The most important reasons given by members of the jury in favour of permitting assisted dying that gained the greatest number of votes were:

• To stop pain
• Having the option to end your own life
• Knowledge that you can die with dignity if the time comes

In a second question, jury members were asked: ‘If the law is changed to permit assisted dying in England, what should it include? What should it exclude?’. They had to choose up to five options. Nine also voted that ‘Intolerable suffering (physical) should be considered within the eligibility criteria.’ with no votes to exclude it.

Should the law remain unchanged, the jury also recommended decriminalising the act of assisting someone to travel abroad for assisted dying and advocated for increased funding for NHS palliative care.

This citizens’ jury is the first of its kind in England and is a crucial contribution to the ongoing debate on assisted dying. The findings come at a time of active legislative discussions in Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, and crown dependencies. A full report, including further analysis of public opinion and detailed jury findings, will be published in early 2025.

Andrew Copson, Humanists UK’s Chief Executive, said:

‘Every single survey for decades has concluded that the majority of people in the UK want to see assisted dying legalised. People who don’t want the law to change dismiss this, claiming the public doesn’t understand the topic. Now, this jury has gone in-depth and come to the same conclusion. The result is clear, unequivocal, and undeniable – the public wants the law to change.

Now is the time for politicians to act. There can be no doubt that the public wants a law that gives people choice, compassion and dignity. Adults who are suffering with no hope of a cure deserve the right to choose a dignified and peaceful death. We must legalise assisted dying now.’