The leader of the Church of England’s neurodiversity working group has spoken out against the proposed legalisation of assisted suicide.
Earlier this year the House of Commons voted in favour of the measure, which is due to come before the House of Lords in September.
Fiona MacMillan, who is also a lay member of the General Synod for the Diocese of London and chair of the Disability Advisory Group at St Martin-in-the-Fields, warned that concerns about the scope of the legislation being expand were well founded.
She noted that five years after the introduction of assisted suicide in Canada the law was extended to include the disabled.
“Now disabled Canadians regularly report that it’s easier to get funding for assisted dying than it is for assisted living," she wrote on the Church of England website.
Her concerns echo those of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said before the Commons vote that the ideal of freedom of choice would be greatly undermined if choosing suicide was practically easier and more affordable than choosing palliative care.
MacMillan claimed that many disabled people in Britain “feel at risk” due to a rise in discrimination.
“For example, there is evidence that during the Covid pandemic, Do Not Attempt Resuscitation notices (DNRs) were applied to people with learning disabilities, dementia and autistic people – without the knowledge or consent of patients or of their families," she said.
MacMillan also noted that frustration, grief, anger, depression and a whole host of emotions can easily accompany a new disability and that disabled people would be particularly at risk of making a rash decision to commit suicide, especially if they have previously not suffered from a disability. This being despite the reality that such initial feelings usually give way to adjustments and new ways of living life.
“But in those dark early days” MacMillan says, “many may be vulnerable to despair, finding it hard to believe that a good life is possible.
"There’s a danger that noticing only what doesn’t work, not wanting to be a burden to others – and perhaps coercion - might incline disabled people towards assisted suicide.
"And those who struggle for support with assisted living may be signposted to support with assisted dying.”
