Member Login

Joe’s Soapbox, Assisted Dying Bill

author icon author icon 29/01/2025 author icon Joe's Soapbox

All Wales People First have been monitoring progress of the proposed ‘Assisted Dying Bill’ and the implications for people with learning disabilities.’ 

The idea of the Assisted Dying Bill is to create a law that will help some people with terminal illness to choose to die in peace and comfort.

A terminal illness is an illness which means a person is going to die from the illness and there is nothing that anyone can do to cure them.

Any one of us could suffer from a terminal illness.

And any one of us may want to be helped to die rather than suffer in pain.

But, there are problems with this.

In countries where assisted suicide is legal there have been times when people have been helped to die when they were not terminally ill.

In many cases this has been people with disabilities.

This includes people with learning disabilities.

There have been cases where people with disabilities have been supported to die because they are living in poverty.

During Covid some local authorities put ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ notices on people with learning disabilities because they thought that having a learning disability meant they had a poorer quality of life than those without a learning disability.

I am worried that this Bill if made into law could make people with learning disabilities vulnerable.

Some people don’t believe that it is right for the state to help a person to die.

Some people think it is cruel to expect a person to live when they are suffering.

And the state should help them to die in comfort.

This is what is known as an ethical dilemma.

This means that different people will have a different point of view on what is right or wrong.

My concern is that disabled people may be vulnerable if this Bill becomes law. It is really important that disabled people are protected.

For that reason All Wales People First have supported a campaign protesting against the Bill.

Along with other disabled people’s organisations.

The campaign is called ‘Assist us to live, not die.’

I spoke with the National Council about this in December 2024 and they shared their views. All Wales People First will have an official position statement on this soon.

The lives of all disabled people are as important as anyone else’s.

It is important that is never forgotten.

Victory for Self-Advocacy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *