The vote by MPs in support of legalizing assisted dying in England and Wales is historic.

This means we are one step closer to passing such legislation – but it is only a step on a path that will take many months. Still, the law may take two years to be implemented.

The Terminally Ill (End of Life) Bill still must clear a number of parliamentary hurdles before it becomes law, with five being controlled by MPs and five by peers, and a further round of voting.

If it completes this process successfully, we Changes may be seen in the law To allow some terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months to seek help to end their lives.

Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the bill, told the Commons there would be a period of up to two years before any new laws could be implemented because “it is more important to get this right than to do it quickly”.

But it is also possible that the bill may fall and may not become law.

The measure was introduced by Labor MP Leadbeater as a private members’ bill (PMB), which is a way for backbenchers to bring forward new legislation apart from the government’s agenda.

It was also brought up as an issue of conscience, meaning that MPs are free to vote according to their beliefs and not in line with their party.

The first reading of a bill is a formality, where Leadbeater reads its name in the Commons and a date is set for the next stage.

The real debate among MPs began during its second reading on Friday.

At the end of the debate, Leadbeater’s bill was supported in principle by 330 votes to 275.

It will now be examined at the committee level, where it will be examined line by line by a small group of MPs.

This is followed by the report stage, which allows any MP to propose amendments. The Commons Speaker will decide what is debated and voted on.

After this, MPs get one final chance to vote for or against the bill in what is known as a third reading – and some may change their mind about it – after which all five stages go to the House of Lords. Must be repeated by peers.

If the peers make no further changes, the bill will be sent to the King for royal assent, which formalizes the legislation as an Act of Parliament.

The bill would also have to be a funding resolution to authorize any spending required. Only the government can submit funding proposals.

The Government may decide to intervene in the parliamentary process to change some of the normal procedures now applying to the PMB – for example allowing more Commons time at the report stage.

But so far she has not indicated that she plans to do so.

The PMB’s committee would not normally have the power to subpoena experts to give evidence, but MPs approved a motion to allow it to do so directly after Friday’s key vote.

The PMB does not have scheduled committee sessions, potentially allowing additional time to scrutinize legislation.

The Prime Minister, who voted in favor of the bill, has said that a government impact assessment will be conducted and published as the bill progresses.

Another issue is that ministers leading the two key departments that would have to implement the law – Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood – were among the MPs who opposed the bill on Friday.

All bills must complete their parliamentary stages by the end of the parliamentary session of the year. These are not set in stone.

The reporting phase will have to be completed during the Friday session scheduled for the PMB, and can run only from April 25.

In practical terms, this means that the committee stage needs to be completed quickly to leave enough time to complete the remaining stages of the bill.

A particular risk to the passage of the bill may lie in the report stage, where if too many amendments are moved, Parliament may not have time to debate them all.

Throughout the parliamentary process, lobbying will continue on both sides to garner support and change MPs’ minds in time for the final vote.