I Cannot Condone the UK's Assisted Suicide Parliamentary Bill. ETCs response

I have just been a guest on a Podcast which is dedicated to this question. and as the debate around the Assisted Suicide within the UK's Parliamentary Bill intensifies, I find myself in firm opposition, driven not by convention, but by a profound belief in human dignity, the sanctity of life, and the dangerous precedent this Bill sets. This is not a decision to be made lightly, and the implications stretch far beyond individual choice. Here’s why this Bill is fraught with unintended consequences, ethical pitfalls, and risks to the most vulnerable among us.

Dignity Does Not Come From Death, But From Life

The core argument behind assisted suicide is often framed as a question of dignity. But dignity isn’t diminished by illness, disability, or suffering—it is inherent in our humanity. Choosing to end a life because it is difficult or painful assumes that dignity is tied to physical capability or the absence of suffering, a premise that fundamentally undermines the worth of those who live with chronic illness or disability every day.

We must reject the idea that suffering diminishes the value of a person’s life. While it’s understandable that someone experiencing profound illness might feel despair, our collective responsibility is to support them with compassion, advanced palliative care, and emotional support, not offer death as a solution. True dignity is found in how we care for one another during times of vulnerability, not in offering an escape from suffering under the guise of mercy.

The Slippery Slope: Risks to Vulnerable Patients

We cannot ignore the dangerous precedent this Bill sets for our society. The very concept of legalising assisted suicide introduces a slippery slope—who gets to decide whose suffering is “enough” to warrant death? What happens when financial pressures or strained healthcare systems influence these decisions? Can we truly ensure that vulnerable individuals—those facing mental illness, those living with disabilities, or elderly people with declining health—won’t feel coerced into choosing death because they fear being a burden on their families or society?

Once assisted suicide is normalised, it may gradually shift the societal view on illness, disability, and old age. Patients may begin to feel a subtle moral obligation to die rather than continue “draining resources” or imposing emotional and financial burdens on their loved ones. How many lives will be prematurely ended—not out of true autonomy, but out of the overwhelming weight of guilt or perceived uselessness?

Illness Is Not a Burden to Be Escaped

The narrative driving this Bill also reinforces the troubling notion that illness is something to be escaped from. Illness, suffering, and death are part of the human condition. In accepting them, we can discover untold depths of strength, resilience, and meaning. The idea that illness inherently diminishes the quality of life devalues the experiences of millions who live with chronic illness or disability but still contribute to society, still love, and are loved.

If we allow this Bill to pass, we are sending a message that those who are seriously ill or disabled are less valuable, that their lives are more expendable. Instead of building a society that invests in making every day more liveable—through better pain management, comprehensive mental health care, and emotional support—we are opting for a shortcut to end life.

We Must Uphold the Sanctity of Life

At its heart, this debate is about how we, as a society, view life itself. Do we believe life has intrinsic value, regardless of circumstance, or is life only valuable when it is free of pain, suffering, and dependency? Legalizing assisted suicide creates a framework where the value of life becomes conditional, and this is a deeply dangerous societal shift.

We must also acknowledge that medical advancements continue to improve palliative care and pain management. We should be investing in these advancements and pushing for better end-of-life care, not opening the door to assisted death. People should not be left with the feeling that death is their only option because they cannot access the care and support they deserve.

Conclusion: We Must Choose Life and Compassion

The Assisted Suicide Bill, while seemingly compassionate, introduces too many risks, reinforces harmful narratives about illness and disability, and places vulnerable people in dangerous situations. We must resist the urge to view assisted death as a solution to suffering. Instead, we should focus on providing the care, support, and community that uphold the dignity of life, even in the face of illness. True compassion is found in supporting life through suffering, not ending it prematurely.

Let us build a society where life is valued in all its stages, where illness is met with care, not death, and where dignity is preserved through the living, not the act of dying.