“When Parliament debates the draft law next Friday I will encourage the Prime Minister to see that this law on assisted suicide could affect the most vulnerable people in society”.
Eleven-times Paralympic medallist and former British athlete, Tanni Grey-Thompson is the “leading British Paralympic superstar” and a Member of the House of Lords. She has expressed her doubts regarding the draft law on medically assisted suicide to be debated on Friday in the United Kingdom (cf. Gènéthique du 07/09/2015).
In fact, used to comments about her disability, she fears that the adoption of such a law would encourage people to think that, “because I cannot do certain things, my entire life must be negative”.
According to Tanni, although many disabled people are concerned about this law, which only affects patients thought to have less than 6 months to live, many people have fluctuating conditions: “with improvements and setbacks, some could reach this target [six months]”. This law “puts doctors in contradictory roles, namely to improve patients’ lives but also to allow a patient to take his/her own life”.
“We need to be supported, accepted and encouraged to live,”she declared.
The Guardian (08/09/2015)