Spanish lawmakers this week introduced a bill to allow assisted suicide in the country, completing a crucial step to make Spain one of the few countries in the world that allows terminally ill patients to choose to end their lives.
The bill voted by lawmakers was first introduced in February and seeks to remove an aspect of the Spanish penal code that prohibits anyone from assisting in the death of a terminally ill person.
The law passed the lower house of the Spanish parliament by a 198-138 vote and is now headed to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, according to the New York Times.
The law will allow a patient to choose between being euthanized by a health care professional or assisted suicide, something they could do themselves at home by taking a prescribed medication that would end their life.
Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland already have laws legalizing assisted suicide, while several U.S. states include provisions for terminally ill patients.
Assisted suicide continues to be hotly contested around the world, including in Spain, where protesters gathered in Madrid this week to oppose the law beating funeral drums.