The bill passes the first stage in the Commons but will be followed by months of parliamentary activity before it becomes a law.

British lawmakers are set to decide Friday whether to legalize assisted dying, a contentious proposal that would make the United Kingdom one of a small handful of nations to allow terminally ill people to end their lives.

The law, whose passage isn't a sure thing, would legalize "assisted dying" in England and Wales for patients with six months or less to live.