British Lawmakers Voted to Legalize Assisted Dying. Here’s What to Know.

Lawmakers in Britain voted on Friday in favor of a proposal to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill patients in England and Wales.

The 330 to 275 vote in the House of Commons was not the final say on the matter; the legislation will be scrutinized in parliamentary committees and amendments may be put forward.

It was the first time in nearly a decade that British lawmakers voted on assisted dying, a once-taboo practice that has been the subject of increased interest as some Western countries have made it legal in recent years. Here’s what to know.

What does the bill say?

The bill that was approved on Friday applies to those who are at least 18 years old, have received a terminal diagnosis and have no more than six months to live. Two doctors and a judge are required to give their approval, and fatal drugs would have to be self-administered.

Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to allow assisted dying in 2015. But since then, as other European countries have slowly approved assisted suicide, pressure has mounted on British lawmakers to establish their own policy, especially as it has become more common for terminally ill Britons to travel abroad to die on their own terms.

The debate over assisted dying practices was reignited in December, when the British broadcaster Esther Rantzen said she would consider traveling abroad to end her life, given her diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he promised Ms. Rantzen before the July general election that if his Labour Party won, the government would allow a debate and a vote on the subject.