IL statement on assisted dying bill introduced in parliament by Kim Leadbeater MP
Inclusion London, as an organisation run and led by Disabled people, opposes the Assisted dying bills currently going through Parliament.
“Inclusion London, as an organisation run and led by Disabled people, opposes the Assisted Dying bills currently going through Parliament.
Whilst we understand that an assisted dying law may seem reasonable from the perspective of terminally ill people and their loved ones, and we deeply empathise with personal experiences shared by individuals campaigning for this change, we believe it is vital to look at wider possible implications of this proposed legislation and consider the impact it could have, and who it stands to harm.
We understand, for some people the idea of becoming disabled, losing control over ones body and needing support from others may seem like a frightening or intolerable prospect. However, Disabled people know that with good support we can and do live fulfilling, meaningful lives. We see support that we get from others, even with very basic tasks as an enabler of independence. We know it is possible to have dignity, control and autonomy in circumstances when you rely on others for everything, because if the support is right, it is still us who make decisions about what we do, who supports us and how they do it.
We are deeply concerned however that after 14 years of austerity and broken public services, with people waiting months for pain management support and finding that social care support is non-existent or cut to bare minimum, and with so many Disabled people left to struggle in poverty, in homes that don’t meet their needs and having to rely on exhausted family carers, choosing to die may seem like the only viable option.
None of us want anyone to suffer in pain, isolation, poverty or go without good support. But the solution to this is not helping people to die, but instead helping people to live by investing in and providing the support they need.
We know many in our society think our lives are not worth living and we see the consequences of this deeply entrenched view in the experience of other countries, such as Canada, where the conditions and criteria for assisted dying quickly become wider than only the terminally ill and now include many different groups of disabled people.
We also saw how quickly Disabled people’s lives were treated as of lesser value during Covid. Legalising assisted dying will only reinforce and perpetuate this.”
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