{"id":327483,"date":"2025-03-08T11:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T17:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=327483"},"modified":"2025-03-06T23:55:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T05:55:08","slug":"people-down-syndrome-coercive-assisted-suicide-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/people-down-syndrome-coercive-assisted-suicide-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"People with Down syndrome won’t be protected from coercive assisted suicide in UK"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A UK parliamentary committee reviewing Kim Leadbeater\u2019s <\/span>Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill<\/span><\/a> voted 13-8 on Monday to reject an <\/span>amendment<\/span><\/a> that would have protected people with Down syndrome from being encouraged toward assisted suicide by doctors. Disability rights advocates are expressing concern, warning that the decision leaves vulnerable individuals unprotected under the proposed law.<\/span><\/p>\n

The amendment, which had the <\/span>backing<\/span><\/a> of 50 advocacy organizations, including Down Syndrome UK and Down\u2019s Syndrome Scotland, sought to ensure that people with Down syndrome were not coerced into ending their lives. Under the bill\u2019s current form, doctors would be permitted to use their \u201cprofessional judgment\u201d to raise the topic of assisted suicide, including proactively suggesting the option to patients \u2014 even if a patient had not shown any indication they were considering it. This provision has raised fears that vulnerable individuals could be subtly encouraged toward suicide.<\/span><\/p>\n

The committee has consistently rejected proposed safeguards. In addition to the Down syndrome amendment, the committee <\/span>also voted<\/span><\/a> against protections for people with autism, learning disabilities, and minors aged 16 and 17.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MP Danny Kruger, a principal opponent of the bill, <\/span>noted<\/span><\/a> that people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable under assisted suicide laws, emphasizing that \u201cthere is already a fundamental assumption that the lives of people with Down syndrome \u2018are worth less than others.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: UK actress and disability advocate rails against assisted suicide with new documentary<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Leadbeater Bill seeks to legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with six months or less to live, provided certain criteria are met, including mental competency and approval from multiple doctors. However, as Live Action News <\/span>previously reported<\/span><\/a>, safeguards in similar laws in other countries have been eroded over time, expanding eligibility to those with mental illnesses or non-terminal conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n