Talk:Assisted suicide in the United Kingdom

AliCarshalton (talk) 12:20, 29 April 2024 (UTC) May I suggest this as a better introductory paragraph? The current intro is generic and almost totally unrelated to the UK: Assisted suicide is currently illegal under the law of the United Kingdom. In England and Wales, the Suicide Act 1961 prohibits "aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of another" with a penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment. Approximately 46 Britons a year travel abroad for physician-assisted suicide, usually to Dignitas in Switzerland. Following legal challenges, public prosecutorial guidance was issued in 2010 indicating scenarios where prosecution for assisted suicide may not be in the public interest. Bills to legalise assisted dying have been introduced multiple times in Parliament since the 1930s, but none have passed. The devolved governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland have not legalised assisted dying either, although there is some political support for changing the law in Scotland. Polling shows a majority of the British public and doctors support legalising assisted dying, but the British Medical Association adopted a neutral position in 2021 after previously opposing any changes to the law.