from Religion Media Centre
The Senedd has voted 28 to 23, with two abstentions, in favour of assisted dying services being made available on the Welsh NHS, if legislation currently before the House of Lords becomes law.
The vote was held yesterday because it was the final opportunity before the Senedd is dissolved ahead of May’s elections.
Some members said the bill has unresolved issues and there might be new amendments, so they could not offer blanket support.
This was not a vote on the principle of assisted dying, but on whether it should be provided by the NHS. Rejecting the measure would have meant services in Wales were available only privately.
In October 2024, the Senedd voted against assisted dying in principle by 26 votes to 19, with nine abstentions. Plaid Cymru objected to the process saying Wales had been put in an invidious position and it should decide the principle itself. The Conservatives’ leader, Darren Millar, called it “state-sanctioned provision of lethal means for a citizen to end their life” and said the state’s priority should be “to support people at the end of their lives, to alleviate suffering, not to help them commit suicide”. Labour’s Julie Morgan said failing to back the motion would be “an abdication of responsibility”.