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Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson warns Scottish assisted suicide law poses “very real risk” to people with disabilities

Former Paralympian, Baroness Grey-Thompson, believes the legalisation of assisted suicide in Scotland would pose a “very real risk” to the quality of life of people with disabilities in Scotland.

As the results of a Scottish Parliament consultation on Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill show that fewer than 50% of respondents to the consultation fully supported the Bill, Tanni Grey-Thompson has said her main reason for coming out in opposition to the Bill was the “[r]isk of devaluing lives of vulnerable groups”.

In her submission to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee ‘call for views’, the Welsh Baroness said “Legislating for assisted suicide and/or euthanasia has a psychological and practical effect on the lives of disabled people, posing a very real risk to the quality of life of Scotland’s disabled population”.

Baroness Grey-Thompson was also highly critical of the definition of ‘terminally ill’ provided in Liam McArthur’s proposed Bill.

She argued the wording “is so vague that it would almost certainly include many disabled people”.

“Many disabled people fear that to show any signs of melancholy, struggle with their disability, or frustration with their suffering, would be to affirm a wish to die”, she added.

Police Scotland also questioned the wording in their submission, saying “This definition seems to be overly broad, and open to varying interpretations” and asking: “What is the difference between a terminal illness as defined in the Act and some disabilities?”.

Are disabled people ‘terminally ill’ under the definition given in the assisted suicide Bill?

Similar concerns about the wording were also raised earlier this year by Professor David Albert Jones, Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, who argued that the broad definition of terminal illness present in the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill could allow state-assisted suicide for people suffering from anorexia and could include conditions such as type 1 diabetes.

Grey-Thompson’s comments come as the results of a Scottish Parliament consultation on Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill show that fewer than 50% of respondents to the consultation fully supported the Bill.

Despite a large campaign from assisted suicide groups to introduce assisted suicide in Scotland and mobilise the public to respond to the consultation, the results indicate that there is not overwhelming support for Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill from the general public. Instead, the results indicate that the public is deeply divided on the issue.

The report on the responses shows that of the 21,056 responses to the consultation, only 10,380 (49.30%) fully supported the Bill and 10,120 (48.06%) strongly opposed the Bill, with an additional 556 (2.64%) who either partially opposed, partially supported or were neutral on the Bill.

Earlier this year Comedian, actress and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr said that making assisted suicide legal for the terminally ill will eventually lead to allowing it for people who are poor, disabled or mentally ill as well.

She described this possibility as “terrifying”.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said “Baroness Grey-Thompson is right to be concerned that Liam McArthur’s dangerous Assisted Dying Bill poses a significant risk to people with disabilities in Scotland”.

“A survey of a thousand adults in Canada in 2023 found 50% of respondents agreed that ‘disability’ should be a reason for euthanasia with that figure rising to 60% for 18-34 year olds. Cultural attitudes towards disability like this are especially alarming and we would be naive to think that they couldn’t exist in Scotland too”.

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Dear reader,

Despite the Leadbeater assisted-suicide Bill passing its Third Reading on 20 June, it scraped through by just 23 votes (314-291) after enjoying a 55-vote majority at Second Reading. Had 12 more MPs switched sides, the Bill would be dead. It now limps into the Lords with a wafer-thin majority, where peers can amend, delay or reject it outright.

THE CHALLENGE

Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide and will fight hard to stop the Lords overturning the Bill.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion-up-to-birth amendment, passed by MPs in June, also heads to the Lords. If it becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – and at any point up to and during birth.

We will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), who are expected to push for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws in the Lords.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Thousands of vulnerable lives are now at stake. Battling these two threats is the biggest and most expensive effort in our history, and has drained our limited resources. To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £200,000 by midnight this Sunday (13 July 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from these major threats?

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.