Disabled people’s organisations unite to oppose assisted suicide bill that has ‘far-reaching implications’

Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) from across England and Wales have united to warn of the grave risks of proposed new legislation that would allow assisted suicide for people with a terminal illness.

Not Dead Yet UK, Disability Rights UK, All Wales People First, Liberation, Disabled People Against Cuts, Disability Wales and the coalition of UK DPOs that monitor implementation of the UN disability convention, all spoke out yesterday (Wednesday) to oppose the bill.

Kim Leadbeater’s terminally ill adults (end of life) bill received its first reading in the House of Commons yesterday (Wednesday) and is now set to be debated by MPs on 29 November.

The bill would “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life”.

It is not yet clear whether the bill will restrict assisted suicide to those with a maximum of six months to live.

Disabled activists warned yesterday that the bill would pressure disabled people to end their lives prematurely, and that too little time had been set aside to understand its “far-reaching” implications.

They believe parliament’s focus should be on improving access to health, care and other services.

And they have outlined their ethical and human rights concerns in a briefing sent to MPs.

Ellen Clifford, co-ordinator of the UN monitoring coalition*, said: “Parliament only gets one go at this and if they get it wrong the consequences will be very dangerous both for individual people vulnerable to abuse and society as a whole.

“Our support services – palliative care, the NHS, social care and mental health – are currently broken.

“The government must get on and fix the foundations, so we all have the chance to live with dignity.”

Not Dead Yet UK (NDY UK), a grassroots group of disabled activists who campaign against legalisation, said laws introduced in other countries have started with “relatively strict parameters” but then “expand and expand”.

Phil Friend, co-convenor of NDY UK, said: “While we are assured there will be ‘safeguards’, in reality these safeguards are virtually impossible to implement effectively.

“Even the idea that doctors can accurately predict when a person has six months left to live does not reflect reality.

“And in a world where there is growing awareness of coercive control, and where we know that many do not receive adequate or appropriate medical care, pain management or social care, we are creating the conditions for people to find themselves agreeing that, yes, they should probably die, including to avoid feeling like a burden.”

Kamran Mallick, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said MPs should recognise the “chilling echoes” of the pandemic, where disabled people had “do not attempt resuscitation” (DNAR) notices imposed on them without their consent.

He said: “These actions demonstrated a shocking disregard for our lives and autonomy, exposing the prevailing societal belief that disabled lives are less valuable.

“Legalising assisted suicide would exacerbate these deeply concerning attitudes, normalising the idea that disabled people are better off dead than living in a society that fails to provide adequate support.”

Joe Powell, chief executive of All Wales People First, also pointed to the pandemic, where many people with learning difficulties had DNAR notices imposed on them without their knowledge.

He said: “We are concerned that this legislation may impact on many people with learning disabilities because of misunderstandings about their quality of life.”

Dorothy Gould, founder of the user-led, rights-based organisation Liberation, highlighted how people with mental health diagnoses were “already dying needlessly” in psychiatric institutions, because of “a flawed service model and the use of disability-based detention”.

She said assisted suicide legislation could lead to a “very real risk” that “yet more of us will then die because we feel so hopeless about receiving the help we actually need”.

Paula Peters, a member of the national steering group of Disabled People Against Cuts, said the proposed bill had caused “deep concern and alarm for many disabled people”.

She said: “It is impossible to put strong enough safeguards in place to prevent coercion and feeling that we have become a burden on our families and the state.

“We fear that non-disabled people will be making choices about what is best for us and that our voices will be dismissed as they often are.”

Rhian Davies, chief executive of Disability Wales, said her organisation also opposed the bill.

She said: “We acknowledge the lived experience of pain, suffering and distress on both sides of this debate; nevertheless, we are deeply concerned at the far-reaching implications of this bill, both for individuals and society as a whole.

“Given the dire impact of austerity, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people, including in Wales, we fear that this bill would further devalue disabled lives and undermine their very right to life.”

*Members of the coalition include The Alliance for Inclusive Education, All Wales People First, Disabled People Against Cuts, Disabled People Against Cuts Northern Ireland, Disability Rights UK, Disability Wales, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, Liberation and The Omnibus Partnership in Northern Ireland

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