The Trump administration criticized the United Kingdom over its recently passed assisted dying bill, claiming the new legislation stands for “surrender and death.”

Last week, U.K. lawmakers approved a bill which will allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, who have less than six months to live, to apply for assisted suicide.

Members of Parliament supported the bill in a vote of 314 to 291. It now moves to the second chamber of Parliament, the House of Lords, where the bill can be amended or delayed but not overruled.

In a social media post, the Trump administration criticized the legislation for supporting “state-subsidized suicide,” adding “the United States reaffirms the sanctity of life.”

“The western world should stand for life, vitality and hope over surrender and death,” the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor wrote in its social media statement.

Following Friday’s decision, Kim Leadbeater, the Labour party lawmaker who proposed the bill, called the move a “huge moment for the country,” per The Associated Press.

“It was a huge sense of relief because this is the right thing to do,” Leadbeater added.

Since the bill was first voted on in November 2024, it has faced much opposition from leaders worldwide, particularly religious leaders and groups.

John Howard, a Catholic priest in the U.K., led a group of people in prayer while the voting took place last Friday.

“I feel great sorrow and concern, particularly for the most vulnerable and disabled,” he told Reuters. “This is a dark day for our country.”

Religious leaders respond to the U.K.’s assisted dying billCatholic Union of Great Britain

In a statement shared on social media, The Catholic Union of Great Britain wrote, “The complex needs of many of the families I serve require a network of support, not, as the Bill allows, physicians bringing up the possibility of assisted dying to those who are already vulnerable & suicidal.”

Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally

Bishop Sarah Mullally called the legislation, “a risk to the most vulnerable people in our society,” in a statement shared by The Church of England.

“Every person is of immeasurable and irreducible value, and should be able to access the care and support that they need — a principle that I know is shared by those all faiths and none,” she added.

Muslim Council of Britain

“This legislation risks placing pressure on vulnerable people, especially those with terminal illness, mental health struggles, or disabilities, who may feel compelled to end their lives simple because they feel like a burden,” the Muslim Council of Britain wrote in a statement.

“We urge peers in the House of Lords to reflect carefully on the serious risk this legislation poses.”

Sikh Council U.K.

The Sikh Council of the U.K. said it “expresses serious concern” over the legislation.

“The Sikh community believes in seva (selfless service), and we are called to support the sick, elderly and dying with compassion, not convenience.”

“We now call on House of Lords to reflect carefully on the unintended consequences of this bill and to actively engage with faith groups, medical professionals and marginalized communities before proceeding further.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop John Sherrington

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool, said the bill could close down hospice and care homes.

“Institutions whose mission has always been to provide compassionate care in sickness or old age, and to provide such care until the end of life, may have no choice, in the face of these demands, but to withdraw from the provision of such care,” they said in a joint statement, per CBCEW.

The statement continued, “The widespread support which hospices attract from local communities will also be undermined by these demands which, in many cases, will require these institutions to act contrary to their traditional and principled foundations.”

A demonstrator against assisted dying holds a banner outside Parliament in London, Friday, June 20, 2025, as British lawmakers are set to vote Friday on whether to back a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales. | Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press