Assisted dying law sends the message that the lives of the elderly, terminally ill and disabled are not worth living
The IndependentAs the debate on assisted dying passed its second reading, there was one thing that I could say that I was relieved about: when the voting figures were announced, there was no cheering but a silence that showed how serious this issue is. We are not at that stage yet, but I have said it before and I will say it again: this law sends the message that the lives of the elderly, terminally ill and disabled are not worth living. But I did get a bit weepy this morning at seeing so many disabled people at 8am outside parliament, knowing the discrimination they have battled to survive to this point in their lives – never mind get to central London on a transport system that just about allows one wheelchair user per bus. What feels different this time – compared to 2015 when this issue was last debated – is that many MPs put on social media why they were voting a certain way, to manage expectations.