Campaigners have gathered outside the UK Parliament to make final appeals for and against euthanasia as MPs prepare for a key vote.
Depending on the outcome of Friday's vote, legalisation could move a step closer to England and Wales.
The outcome of the vote will determine whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be passed by the Commons and sent to the House of Lords, or whether it will be rejected outright. The latter option could mean the issue will not return to Westminster for a decade.
The narrow 55-vote margin achieved in November's historic “yes” vote means every vote on Friday will matter.
The bill will be rejected if 28 MPs change their votes from “yes” to “no”, but only on condition that the rest of the MPs vote the same as in November, including those who abstained.
Supporters and opponents of the law change gathered in Westminster early on Friday morning, holding placards with slogans such as “Give us a choice” and “Don't turn doctors into murderers”.
Ahead of the vote, four Labour MPs confirmed they would switch sides to oppose the proposed new law, in what would be seen as a major blow to the bill.
Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Marcus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to their colleagues expressing their concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation.
They described it as “significantly weakened”, citing the removal of protection from High Court judges as one of the main reasons.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
