Definitions of terminal illness in assisted dying legislation

Author: Susan Brown

PDF Published: Thursday 25 Sep 2025 (SB 25-45)

Expand
Report

Hide

Hide

Report
- UK and Crown Dependencies
  - Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, Liam McArthur MSP
  - Existing definitions of terminal illness in social security legislation
  - Definitions of terminal illness within other existing or proposed assisted dying legislation
    
    Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Kim Leadbeater MP
    
    Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill, Lord Falconer
    
    Assisted Dying Bill 2023, Dr Allinson MHK
    
    Assisted dying in Jersey
  - Definitions of terminal illness in previous attempts to legislate for assisted dying in Scotland
- International jurisdictions where legislation includes a definition of terminal illness
  - Australia
  - New Zealand
  - US States
Sources

Scottish Parliament. (2024). Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill [as introduced] - SP Bill 46. Retrieved from https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/assisted-dying-for-terminally-ill-adults-scotland-bill/introduction/bill-as-introduced.pdf

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill Policy Memorandum. SP Bill 46-PM. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/assisted-dying-for-terminally-ill-adults-scotland-bill/introduction/policy-memorandum-accessible.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2018/9/contents [accessed 1 September 2025]

Scottish Government. (2023, December 19). Updated Guidance on the Implementation of Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) Guidance and form for Terminal Illness, for Disability Benefits devolved to Scotland . Retrieved from https://www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/files/cmo-2023-20.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Scottish Parliament. (2024, November 19). Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, Official Report. Retrieved from https://www.parliament.scot/api/sitecore/CustomMedia/OfficialReport?meetingId=16111

Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Act 2022. (2022, October 25). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/42/contents/enacted [accessed 1 September 2025]

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. (2025). Retrieved from https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3774 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill [AS BROUGHT FROM THE COMMONS] . (2025, June 23). Retrieved from https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61635/documents/6734 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill [HL] . (2024). Retrieved from https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/55997/documents/4978 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Assisted Dying Bill 2023. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.tynwald.org.im/spfile?file=/business/bills/Bills/Assisted-Dying-Bill-2023-FINAL_Draft%20for_publication_completed_passage_through_Branches.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness. (2019). Six Months To Live? Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness inquiry into the legal definition of terminal illness. Retrieved from https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/globalassets/media/documents/policy/appg/all-party-parliamentary-group-for-terminal-illness-report-2019.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

States Of Jersey, Official Report , Tuesday, 21st May 2024. (2024, May 21). Retrieved from https://statesassembly.je/getmedia/1e4eb242-eb5a-4b0d-857e-2420acb56003/2024-05-21-States.pdf?ext=.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

States of Jersey. (2025, September 2). Draft Assisted Dying (Jersey) Law 202-. Retrieved from https://statesassembly.je/getmedia/e17ac083-c1a1-4b5c-9d34-6c250af763cf/P-65-2025.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Dying with dignity consultation paper. (2004). Retrieved from https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/3/archive2021.parliament.scot/S2_MembersBills/Draft%20proposals/Dying%20with%20Dignity%20Consultation%20paper.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Scottish Parliament. (2010). End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill. Retrieved from https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20240327012702/https://archive2021.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/21272.aspx

Scottish Parliament. (2013). Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill. Retrieved from https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20240327015448/https://archive2021.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/85357.aspx [accessed 17 September 2024]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 No. 61 of 2017. (2017). Retrieved from https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/8caaf3b4-28f6-3ad1-acf3-e3c46177594e_17-61aa003%20authorised.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/filestore.nsf/FileURL/mrdoc_42491.pdf/%24FILE/Voluntary%20Assisted%20Dying%20Act%202019%20-%20%5B00-00-00%5D.pdf?OpenElement [accessed 1 September 2025]

End-of-Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Act 2021. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/asmade/act-2021-001 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/__legislation/lz/c/a/voluntary%20assisted%20dying%20act%202021/current/2021.29.auth.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021, Act No. 17 of 2021. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/act-2021-017 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022 No 17. (2023). Retrieved from https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2022-017 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2024. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2024-24/ [accessed 1 September 2025]

End of Life Choice Act 2019. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0067/latest/dlm7285905.html [accessed 1 September 2025]

Ministry of Health. (2024, November 20). Review of the End of Life Choice Act 2019. Retrieved from https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/review-of-the-end-of-life-choice-act-2019 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Assembly Bill No. 15 End of life. (2015). Retrieved from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520162AB15 [accessed 1 September 2025]

HOUSE BILL 16-1054: CONCERNING END-OF-LIFE OPTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A TERMINAL ILLNESS.. (2016). Retrieved from https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2016A/bills/2016a_1054_01.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

LAWS OF DELAWARE VOLUME 85 CHAPTER 19 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY FORMERLY HOUSE BILL NO. 140 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO END OF LIFE OPTIONS. (2025). Retrieved from https://legis.delaware.gov/SessionLaws/Chapter/GetPdfDocument?fileAttachmentId=649151 [accessed 1 September 2025]

[CHAPTER 327L] OUR CARE, OUR CHOICE ACT. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol06_Ch0321-0344/HRS0327L/HRS_0327L-.htm [accessed 1 September 2025]

An Act To Enact the Maine Death with Dignity Act, HP 948. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol06_Ch0321-0344/HRS0327L/HRS_0327L-.htm [accessed 1 September 2025]

Montana Code Annotated 2023. (2023). Retrieved from https://archive.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0500/chapter_0090/part_0010/section_0020/0500-0090-0010-0020.html [accessed 1 September 2025]

Chapter 59, AN ACT concerning medical aid in dying for the terminally ill, supplementing Titles 45 and 26 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.1991, c.270 and N.J.S.2C:11-6.. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Statutes/Medical-Aid-in-Dying-for-the-Terminally-Ill-Act.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

House Bill 47. (2021). Retrieved from https://endoflifeoptionsnm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CH132-HB47-2021.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

THE OREGON DEATH WITH DIGNITY ACT OREGON REVISED STATUTES 127.800 – 127.995. (1997). Retrieved from https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PROVIDERPARTNERRESOURCES/EVALUATIONRESEARCH/DEATHWITHDIGNITYACT/Documents/statute.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

Chapter 113: Patient Choice at End of Life. (2024). Retrieved from https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/18/113 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Death with Dignity Act of 2016. (2016). Retrieved from https://dchealth.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/doh/page_content/attachments/Death%20With%20Dignity%20Act.FINAL_.pdf [accessed 1 September 2025]

THE WASHINGTON DEATH WITH DIGNITY ACT. (2023). Retrieved from https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.245 [accessed 1 September 2025]

Last Updated: 23/4 2:32pm

An error occured while loading, please try again in a few minutes.