The controversial assisted dying bill has just been approved by MPs in a truly historic vote in the Commons.
The bill, which would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given medical assistance to end their own life, passed its second reading – the first parliamentary hurdle it must go through on the way to becoming law.
The last time the matter was debated and voted on at second reading was in 2015, when MPs voted against it by 330 votes to 118.
So what happens next?
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is what is known as a private members’ bill (PMB), meaning it has not been put forward by the government but by a backbench MP – in this instance, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
As a PMB, the legislation must go through the same parliamentary stages to become law as a government bill.
The next stage after second reading is known as committee stage, where the bill will be subject to more scrutiny.
Committee stage
The bill will likely be referred to a public bill committee, whose membership should reflect the party composition of the House and of its viewpoint.
However, there could be concerns among the bill’s opponents that Ms Leadbeater could pick members who are sympathetic to the bill and thus crowd out dissenting voices.
The other option – though this would be unusual for a PMB – would be a committee of the whole House, which is sometimes considered for some of the most contentious bills and would allow all MPs to take part in the process.
However, one opponent of the assisted dying bill told Sky News that despite the committee of the whole House seeming like the preferable option for those who are against, it would likely mean that the bill would run out of time and would fail – leading people to see it as a wrecking tactic.
At public bill committees, MPs scrutinise the bill line by line.
Ahead of the second reading vote, supporters of the bill argued that those with concerns could support the bill on principle because they would be given the opportunity to propose amendments at committee stage.
But opponents have questioned how easily this bill could be amended.
They say that because the vast majority of PMBs that get past second reading are government hand-out bills that do not require extensive amending, there is not much previous evidence of PMBs being successfully amended.
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However, it is still possible to amend PMBs and it won’t be up to Ms Leadbeater to decide the amendments.
Indeed, there will be no procedural barrier to doing so because the government will not whip at this stage – because it has to be neutral on the bill.
Report stage
After committee stage, the bill will move on to report stage, where MPs will also be able to propose amendments.
There will be a debate that can take place over more than a day, but usually lasts between three and five hours.
It will be the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who will decide which amendments are discussed and voted on.
Read more on this story:
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Third reading
At third reading, MPs have the final opportunity to debate the bill after the report stage ends.
If the bill passes third reading, it will then be sent on to the House of Lords, where peers will table their own amendments.
There too, the same divisions and disagreements are likely to exist and be expressed among peers – some of whom are bishops who may be swayed by a recent warning by faith leaders that the bill could “all too easily” end in vulnerable people feeling they have “a duty to die”.
If amendments are made, they will then be sent back to the Commons for consideration. If MPs agree with the amendments, the bill will receive royal assent and it will become law.