from spiked
Kathleen Stock on how the assisted-dying bill will turn death into a ‘solution’ for physical frailty.
Assisted death is presented by proponents as ‘compassionate’ and ‘progressive’. Establishing a ‘right to die’ will give people ‘control’ over their final moments and enhance their autonomy, we’re always told. Yet according to philosopher Kathleen Stock, this fuzzy, feel-good portrayal of assisted death is essentially the opposite of the truth. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Stock warns, will lead to the institutionalisation of death, should it be passed in parliament. The most vulnerable in society – primarily the elderly and disabled – will be pressured and coerced into accepting an early death.
Stock recently returned to The Brendan O’Neill Show to discuss her new book, Do Not Go Gentle: The Case Against Assisted Death. What follows is an edited excerpt from that conversation. You can watch the full thing here.