What YOU can do to oppose the assisted suicide bill

 

A group of disabled people at a demonstration against assisted suicide

In November 2024, Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill is going to have its second reading and, as disabled people, we have serious concerns about it.

Not Dead Yet UK are a group of disabled people who oppose the legalisation of assisted suicide. We see the disastrous impact it has had on disabled people’s lives in countries where it is legal, and we know that this society, where we experience daily discrimination, is not somewhere it is safe to legislate that some people can be helped to die while others would be helped to live.

We know that you, too, have concerns and want to take action to prevent this bill becoming law, so we have come up with seven things you can do to help. 

Please do whichever of them you feel able to – the more the better. We are fighting for our lives and now is not the time for this to come into law.

We will share an Easy Read version of these suggestions in the next few days.

Write to your MP and attach the briefing paper we have created

Write to your MP (you can do that here) and explain your concerns about the assisted suicide bill. Individualised emails rather than copy-pasted ones are best, and remember to ask your MP to vote against it.

If you don't want to write your own email, you can copy this one. 

When you contact them, attach a copy of the briefing paper Not Dead Yet UK has created to explain disabled people’s objections to this becoming law.

Make a one-minute video

Maybe writing is difficult for you or maybe you just prefer to express yourself differently. There are other ways to share your thoughts: a short video can be a really powerful way to communicate your views.

It doesn’t have to be fancy, just use your phone and record yourself talking for up to one minute about why you believe that bringing assisted suicide into law in England and Wales would be a grave mistake.

Once you have recorded it (and captioned it if you know how), send it to your MP and send us a copy at contact@NotDeadYetUK.co.uk so we can share it on our social media channels, too.

Share this post with your networks

Lots of us are very concerned about this bill but not sure what action we can take. 

Share this post with your friends, fellow campaigners and allies so we can make as much noise as we can to let MPs know that disabled people have very real, legitimate concerns about legalising assisted suicide.

Save the date

The second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be on 29th November at the House of Commons. 

If you can, keep this date free in your diary and, if you want to know what we are planning for the day, email contact@NotDeadYetUK.co.uk to sign up for our email updates.

Watch – and share – Better Off Dead?

Liz Carr’s BBC documentary about assisted suicide is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. It is a powerful portrayal of disabled people’s concerns in the UK, and the experiences of disabled people in other places.

Share the link with people you know, too. Many people have never heard disabled people’s arguments about the dangers of assisted dying legislation and think the only objections are pro-life ones. 

Encourage people to watch the documentary, whatever their views are on the subject.

Sign up for our updates

Keep on top of our updates so you don’t miss anything! Some things you can do:

Donate to help our campaign

We know that times are hard for disabled people and we do not want or expect donations from anybody who would find it hard to spare the money.

However, if you are in a position to help and you want to help, you can donate to support our work here. As a small team of volunteers, we appreciate every £ that comes our way.


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