DR UK launches new Assisted Dying policy page

Ahead of the report stage, and potential third reading, for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on the 16th May, Disability Rights UK (DR UK) has published some key information on its opposition to the bill and the ways that you can help campaign. Read the full Assisted Dying page on our website. 

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced last Autumn and passed its second reading in the Commons on the 29th of November with a majority of 55 votes. The bill aims to legalise assisted dying in the UK.

DR UK, amongst other campaigners, have previously raised concerns regarding the ableist society that this bill will land in - one with "grave and systemic" violations of Disabled people's rights, that values Disabled lives less. Previous examples like blanket Do Not Resuscitate orders for Disabled people during the pandemic, and barriers to essential public services and social security support, leading to the premature deaths of Disabled people, are some of the reasons why campaigners argue that Disabled people must be assisted to live before we can be assisted to die. 

Fazilet Hadi, DR UK Head of Policy, said when giving evidence to the bill's committee that “This isn’t an abstract exercise, this bill, it will land in a society that is rife with inequality. I can’t suggest any way in which this bill could be strengthened, and that’s because it’s the society it will land in is the thing that needs to change."

Since DR UK's initial opposition to the bill, the committee stage saw the weakening of already insufficient safeguards and voted down several amendments that could have protected some of the groups most at risk of coercion and discrimination (e.g. those who are homeless, prisoners, and children). The full details of amendments that raise concerns can be found in DR UK's new Assisted Dying policy page. 

Bethany Bale, Rights and Justice Campaigner at DR UK, said "An issue of this magnitude - which could erode our rights and would transform the function of the NHS - cannot be rushed via a Private Members Bill. The public has no opportunity to share their thoughts in a public consultation, and MPs do not have access to sufficient information to make a decision.

This bill would place a duty on the Secretary of State to guarantee access to assisted dying when no similar enforceable right exists to independent living. This would mean that, in practice, it would be easier and quicker to access assisted dying in the UK than it would be to access social care support, palliative healthcare, and suitable housing.

Disabled people must be assisted to live before we can responsibly be assisted to die. At the upcoming third reading, we urge MPs to consider the potential risks of rushed and inadequate legislation."

You can read DR UK's original statement opposing Assisted Dying, and our reaction to the bill's passing at the second reading on our website.