This letter was published in The Guardian on 19 May 2025. CNK claims no affiliation with the author.
Regarding Polly Toynbee’s article (MPs are voting on the next stage of the assisted dying bill. This is their chance to create a legacy. 15 May), in June 2018, I received a bone marrow transplant for myelofibrosis – a condition that, only a few years earlier, would have led to a fairly uncomfortable and painful death. My consultant at the time, whom I liked and respected greatly, was not hopeful the transplant would succeed. My quality of life had been steadily deteriorating, and the two years that followed the transplant were extremely difficult. I remain immunocompromised and live with chronic health conditions that require monitoring, and yet, despite everything, I have had a number of years of life well lived.
Had you asked my opinion of assisted dying eight, five or three years ago, I might have responded very differently. My views then would have been shaped by pain, the mental toll of illness, the isolation it brings and the deep sense of guilt over the burden I felt I placed on those close to me, and over the NHS resources I consume.
Medical opinions often differ, and I’ve witnessed how care can shift depending on how a patient presents – mood, appearance and speech all have an effect on our treatment. In an unequal society, how can we ensure that a decision as final as assisted dying is truly free from undue influence or even prejudice?
The risk is that the bill could unintentionally set us on a path where choosing to die becomes seen as a selfless or responsible act, disproportionately affecting the poorest and most vulnerable in our society, and safeguards will be eroded as society becomes “trained” to see assisted dying as just another life option. Current societal norms of compassion for the weakest and the poorest in society will become eroded as assisted dying replaces improved funding for compassionate and comprehensive palliative care.
David Gibbon
Cardiff
