Oxfordshire MPs were divided after the landmark assisted dying bill was defeated after a vote in Parliament following a lengthy and emotional debate.
Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury, said: "Before the 2024 General Election, I stated publicly that I was broadly supportive of the principle of assisted dying.
"That position has not fundamentally changed.
"However, I have always believed that any change to the law on such an important and sensitive issue must be subject to rigorous scrutiny and accompanied by robust safeguards.
"I do not feel able to support the Bill currently before Parliament.
"My responsibility as a Member of Parliament is not only to consider the principle behind legislation, but to determine whether the specific proposal before us is safe, workable, and fit to become law.
"I recognise that some constituents will welcome this decision, while others will be disappointed by it.
"Given the significance of the issue and the strength of feeling it understandably evokes, I believe it is important to explain openly how I have reached this conclusion."
The legislation would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval from two doctors and an expert panel.
It was voted down in the House of Commons by 16 votes, with 286 MPs opposing the legislation and 270 backing it.
Layla Moran, MP for for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: "Parliament has voted against the Assisted Dying bill today.
"I thank everyone who wrote to me about this issue, whichever side of the argument you were on.
"While I voted for it, I recognise the concerns many have raised about the state of the palliative care system, and will not stop trying to address them.
"I stand ready to work with the Government to sort out the issues we all recognise with the service; fragmented care, a postcode lottery, widespread workforce shortages and systemic inequalities, so that everyone has the opportunity of a peaceful, pain-free death.
"I continue to support the principle of choice at the end of life and I've no doubt this issue will return in the future."
The legislation had previously cleared two Commons votes, in 2024 and 2025. However, support narrowed significantly, with the majority falling from 55 votes at the first major vote to 23 at the second before ultimately being defeated.
Among Oxfordshire’s MPs, Liberal Democrats Layla Moran, Olly Glover, Charlie Maynard and Freddie van Mierlo supported the bill, while Labour MPs Sean Woodcock and Anneliese Dodds, together with Liberal Democrat Calum Miller, opposed it.
MPs debated the issue for more than four and a half hours on Friday (September 11), with 41 backbenchers contributing speeches.
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