'Coercion on a state level': Silent Witness star argues assisted dying bill risks people feeling there is 'no choice'
12 November 2024, 19:59 | Updated: 13 November 2024, 00:32
Actress and activist Liz Carr has argued that legalising assisted dying risks making people feel as if they are a burden and have "no choice".
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Speaking on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Ms Carr said that the bill would lead to coercion on a state level.
She argued that people will begin to feel like a burden and as if they have "no choice" but to agree.
"I think, honestly, while we have such low expectation and a low value of certain groups of people – and I say that as a disabled woman, but equally ill people and older people - we just don’t see their value and their worth...
"There could be somebody who just feels like they’re a burden, somebody who doesn't want to use all of their savings or sell their house for home care."
She continued: "There's a lot of talk about coercion and that's often talked about as an individual coercing someone or pressurising them.
"I think we're talking about almost on a state level, on a system level, feeling you've got no choice."
Read more: Teacher dying of bowel cancer begs MPs to approve assisted dying as proposed law published
Campaigner says the assisted dying bill is 'coercive'
Ms Carr went on to say: "We're afraid and why not? We've all had experiences of seeing people that we love die unpleasant and difficult deaths and we assume that these bills are going to make that go away.
"Actually, we know that over half of the people that currently go to Dignitas wouldn't qualify into this bill or a bill like this."
On November 29, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be debated and voted on - marking the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has described her proposed legislation as the "most robust" in the world, as she stated she expects hundreds of dying people might initially opt to use a service which could see patients press a button to end their lives.
Defending the bill, she argued that there are "three layers of scrutiny" in the form of a sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge, and would make coercion an offence with a possible punishment of 14 years in jail.
Sir Keir Starmer has described the issue as "a very important question on which views differ, strongly-held views on either side".
Speaking at Cop29 in Baku, the PM said: "I will not be putting pressure on any MP to vote one way or the other.
"I personally will study the details of the Bill which has now been published today because safeguards have always been extremely important to me and were an essential part of the guidelines that I drew up when I was chief prosecutor."
