We should not allow assisted dying to sacrifice disabled people on the altar of the economy

Prime minister Keir Starmer appears to be gearing up to fast-track new legislation to legalise assisted dying. This could see parliament holding a vote within weeks on this. However, the bill remains highly controversial – namely for the enormous danger it poses to chronically ill and disabled people.

Assisted dying: Starmer to fast-track bill

Currently, it is a criminal offence in the UK to aid someone in taking their own life via assisted dying – also known as assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia. However, this could be about to change – and fast. The private members ‘Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bills [HL]‘ would allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to seek medical assistance to end their own life.

Now, as News Hub has reported:

Keir Starmer is privately preparing to push the legislation through by Christmas, much sooner than initially thought.

Moreover, it detailed that:

 Although Sir Keir Starmer had avoided setting a specific timescale for a vote, a successful Private Members’ Bill ballot, which enables backbench MPs to introduce legislation, has sped up the process.

Supporters of the bill have argued that giving terminally ill patients the choice to end their life is the empathetic and right thing to do.

However, many also oppose the bill. Notably, many chronic illness and disabled campaigners have repeatedly resisted and spoken out against it.

This is because, in a system that predominantly demonises chronically ill and disabled people, they argue it is a slippery slope.

Crucially, this has been the case in other countries that have legalised it. While the current bill would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people only at this point, it could pave the way to expanding the provision. And it could do this to dangerous effect.

The Netherlands extended assisted dying to people with mental health problems, including children.

Meanwhile, Canada extended its medically assisted in death (MAID) policy to chronically ill and disabled people. Most alarmingly, Canada offers this as an option to those who cannot afford care. There are anecdotal accounts of poverty and a lack of healthcare options driving disabled people to take their lives under MAID.

All for the economy

Moreover, even without these extensions, the current bill already plays into problematic narratives. Specifically, this is the idea that terminally ill patients are a drain on the economy.

In fact, as the Canary’s Steve Topple previously highlighted, the poorly-worded framing of one such petition used this argument. Until change.org removed it due to an influx of complaints, this read:

For those without compassion and reading this asking what the benefit besides letting people end things on their own terms, perhaps look at this as a way to save the NHS and DWP millions of pounds every year.

Of course, if that rhetoric is also familiar, that’s because it should be. It’s this precise message that has been on the lips of DWP boss Liz Kendall as she has declared her war against the post-pandemic “economic inactivity” of long-term sick people.

And behind the back-to-work bluster on reducing the benefits bill is the implication that chronically ill and disabled people cost too much money to support.

Already, we’re seeing the results of this callous economy first mantra. First, Labour refused to scrap the two child limit on benefits that’s entrenching staggering levels of poverty.

Then, it cut the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners. It did this knowing it would likely kill thousands of elderly people this winter, as shown by the party’s previous estimations. Even the government’s own equality analysis identified how this will disproportionately harm disabled people. Specifically, it will cause 1.6 million of them to lose out on the vital support.

What’s more, Labour is also staying wedded to a Tory-esque sanction regime for social security. The Tory-led DWP’s ruthlessly punitive benefit system has caused tens of thousands of deaths on its watch. Now, Labour look set to pick up where the Conservatives left off with this.

In other words, Labour is implementing all these deadly policies in the name of saving money. Therefore, it’s easy to see how the government and right-wing actors that equate dignity with work, will push dignity in dying for those who can’t.

No safe assisted deaths in a cruel, capitalist system

The reality right now is that while the government and NHS are failing to provide access to adequate care, legalising assisted dying will put chronically ill and disabled people at risk. So long as that same system continues to vilify them, there’s every chance it’ll directly – or subliminally – push people to end their lives.

In a compassionate, caring society, terminally ill people could choose to die with dignity. At the same, chronically ill and disabled people would have sufficient medical research, treatments, and support to live with dignity.

There’d be no danger that the government or healthcare system would coerce them to end their lives. Currently however, we live in a cruel, capitalist society where it’s perfectly plausible that could happen.

Featured image via the Canary