British MPs rejected the legalization of assisted dying for terminally ill patients, by 286 votes to 270

The House of Commons voted against, by 286 votes to 270, a bill to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill patients in England and Wales on Friday. The vote ends the latest attempt to amend British legislation and keeps the ban in place.

The bill, introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edward, would have allowed mentally competent adults diagnosed with a terminal illness and with a life expectancy of no more than six months to end their lives with medical assistance. The procedure would have required approval from a panel of specialists, in an effort to protect vulnerable people from pressure or coercion.

The text was identical to a bill passed by the House of Commons last year, but which did not complete all the stages in the House of Lords in time. Rejected at its first vote in the current session, the bill cannot be brought back until the session ends next spring.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham argued that the debate should be postponed until palliative care and social services are improved. The government remained neutral, and MPs voted according to their own consciences. An Ipsos poll shows that two-thirds of Britons support, in principle, the legalization of assisted dying.