The great flaw in Labour’s assisted dying bill

Believe it or not, the most compelling argument against assisted dying today came from Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, usually reliably on message with every socially progressive cause. But in a BBC radio interview, he almost diffidently put forward his reservations about the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill, arguing that it would make vulnerable people feel like a burden.

Davey, who cared for his elderly mother through her final days and has a disabled son, said, in paraphrase, that if the bill became law, it could have a subtly negative effect on the elderly and disabled. He argued that if the state administers death, many vulnerable people might feel moral pressure to end their lives, whereas a good society should make them feel valued.

That is the heart of the matter, though the issue with safeguards also warrants discussion. If the state offers people the choice to die, many may feel they must take it to avoid being a burden, either to their families or ‘our’ NHS.