May was 'cruel' in referring to assisted dying as 'suicide

Theresa May has been accused of being “deeply insensitive” after the former prime minister referred to assisted dying for terminally ill people as suicide during a debate on the matter last week.

- MILLIE COOKE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Baroness May, one of around 190 peers with their names down to speak on the bill across a two-day debate that will resume today, referred to it as an “assisted suicide bill” and said it “effectively says suicide is OK”.

In a letter to the former prime minister, seen by The Independent, 13 assisted dying campaigners have denounced the language she used, saying they “listened with dismay” as she made her intervention.

“We are not suicidal - we want to live, and to make the most of the time we have left with the people we love. But we are dying and we have no choice or ability to change that,” they said. “We are not seeking to make a choice between living and dying but between two kinds of death. All we ask is for the choice, safety and peace of mind that legalised assisted dying would bring as we approach the very end of our lives.”

In the emotional letter, they added: “To equate choice and control over the timing and manner of inevitable and imminent death with suicide is deeply insensitive to those of us facing this position. We hope that you and other peers will reflect on your choice of words as the bill progresses through the House of Lords. We would welcome the opportunity to meet and talk to you about our concerns.”

Baroness May used her intervention in the House of Lords to express concern about a lack of safeguards in the bill, as well as concern over the bill's possible impact on people with disabilities, chronic illness and mental health problems.