A group of disability rights campaigners and academics has urged MPs and MPs to support legalizing assisted dying, saying everyone deserves the chance to have a good death.
The group, led by Tom Shakespeare, author, broadcaster and professor of disability studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, called on MPs to “stand in solidarity with terminally ill patients who want the option of assisted dying”. “I will.”
Concerns about the value that society places on the lives of people with disabilities are often raised by opponents of assisted dying. Many pointed to the powerful documentary Better Off Dead?, produced by actor Liz Carr, which argued that legalizing assisted dying poses great risks to disabled people.
However, Shakespeare and his seven co-signers insist that disabled people are not a homogeneous group.
In a letter to MPs and colleagues, they said: “We know that some prominent disabled people in the media and politics oppose assisted dying for terminally ill and mentally competent adults, but polling shows that this is a minority. It seems to be a partisan opinion.
“Remember that people with disabilities are a diverse community of individuals with rich life experiences that encompass and exceed their disability identity. However, sadly many of our lives It's happening in the field, but in this discussion, we're far too often talking about it.
Ann Opinion poll conducted for the campaign group “Dignity in Dying” Earlier this year, it was found that almost four in five people with disabilities support legalizing assisted dying.
The letter read as follows: “We firmly believe that we all have the right to have what we need to thrive and to have the autonomy and control to make decisions about our lives – an independent life. When you reach the end of your life, you have the right to a good death with all your options.”
Additionally, “we do not support assisted dying except in cases of terminal illness…We believe that people with disabilities are safe under the proposed law. It has not been expanded in Oregon, Washington, or any other U.S. state.”
A private member's bill introduced by Labor MP Kim Leadbeater to legalize assisted dying for mentally competent terminally ill adults is due to be debated by MPs next month. If the bill is upheld on the first vote, it will be subject to detailed committee scrutiny.
Aid-in-dying activists have predicted a major shift in favor of legalization since MPs overwhelmingly voted against it in 2015, but the outcome of the debate is unclear.
The letter was also signed by Lucy Aliband, former trustee of Disability Rights UK. Sarah Brinton, former Liberal Democratic Party president. James Catmar, Risk Management Consultant. Stephen Duckworth, entrepreneur. Shana Pesaro, campaigner and patient advocate. Martin Stevens, former chair of Disability Rights UK. and Nick Watson, professor of disability studies at the University of Glasgow.
