Actress and author Dawn French has expressed doubts about legalising assisted suicide, after previously calling it a “no-brainer”.
Speaking on ‘Simon Mayo’s Books of the Year’ podcast, she explained how her novel ‘Enough’ explores themes of agency as a healthy 68 year-old grandmother informs her family that she will commit suicide within the next 24 hours.
French still supports the principle of assisted suicide, but admitted that until recently she had “never considered the social injustice that it might bring”.
Fears
The comedian explained that she started to rethink her position after hearing Rory Stewart speak about the issue on ‘The Rest is Politics’ podcast.
“He said his fear about it, is that if it does go through – like so many social constructs like this, big laws like this – poor people will be the people that suffer. They’ll be left out; they will feel like they’re a burden; they will feel like they have to go. There won’t be anybody to speak on their behalf.
“I had never considered that. I know there’s the religious stuff. I know the moral stuff. I know all of that. I had never considered the social injustice that it might bring. And I had to have a second thought about that.”
Parliament Acts
Last month, Labour MP Lauren Edwards announced that she would use her second place in the Private Members’ Ballot to bring forward identical legislation to Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill.
By using identical legislation, Edwards could invoke the Parliament Acts. This would mean that if the Bill is voted through the House of Commons unchanged, the House of Lords – where the Leadbeater Bill stalled – could table amendments, but would be unable to reject it outright.
The Parliament Acts have only been used seven times in the last century, and never for a Private Member’s Bill.
Assisted suicide: MPs told to ‘facilitate care not death’
Baroness Prentis: ‘Assisted suicide Bill ignored the mental toll of illness’
Canadian Govt advised to abandon plans to euthanise people with mental illness