Former head of UK's largest abortion business slams 'assisted dying' bill

Ann Furedi, the former chief executive of the British Pregnant Advisory Service (BPAS) — the nation's largest independent abortion business — has come out against the controversial effort to legalize assisted suicide.

Key Takeaways:

• Furedi previously led BPAS as chief executive, and is a self-described "pro-choice campaigner."

• She published an op-ed opposing efforts to legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom (UK), saying it puts vulnerable people at risk.

• Furedi ignores the ultimate risk posed to the most vulnerable human beings in existence: abortion.

The Details:

The controversial “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” bill failed to pass Parliament in April, and MP Lauren Edwards is already vowing to reintroduce it. Though assisted suicide advocates have pushed hard for legalization, voters have expressed widespread concern about the bill, particularly with regard to coercion and profit, with disability advocates most vocally opposing it.

After the first bill failed, polling found that voters do not think legalizing assisted suicide is a priority, while another poll found that just 1 in 3 said they want the bill reintroduced.

Furedi evidently agrees with these voters, writing in an op-ed for Kent Online that it would be a "serious mistake" to legalize assisted dying, and particularly disagreed with framing it as pro-choice. She wrote (emphases added):

As somebody who has dedicated their entire life to campaigning under the banner of “choice,” I can tell you this legislation is a serious mistake.

“Choice” doesn’t take place in a vacuum. People make decisions within families, institutions and cultural contexts. They are shaped by access to care, levels of support, and perceptions of their own worth. That is especially true at the end of life.

When considering ending their lives, vulnerable people will likely be under the influence of potentially deadly pressures not always easily detected. Is their illness burdening the lives of friends and family? Are they costing too much on the NHS?

At the same time, the devastating news of serious ill health or impending death can create a kind of internal pressure that does not lend itself to rational decision-making. Sick people are just as impacted by depression and suicidal thoughts as physically healthy people.

She continued by pointing out that vulnerable people will be especially at risk, explaining, "Progressive politics is supposed to be attentive to power, context and inequality. Yet in this debate, those contextual concerns are often stripped away in favour of an oversimplified narrative of individual choice."

Why It Matters:

All of Furedi's statements are correct, and ironically, could be made about abortion as well.

The most vulnerable human beings in existence are the preborn, and many women opt for abortion because they feel pressured, lack support, and — as Furedi so eloquently said herself — have "contextual concerns... often stripped away in favour of an oversimplified narrative of individual choice."

Catherine Robinson, spokeperson for Right to Life UK, said Furedi's opposition shows just how extreme the assisted suicide push is.

“Despite her appalling record on abortion in which she oversaw the deaths of tens of thousands of unborn babies during her time as head of BPAS, Ann Furedi recognises the danger that assisted suicide would pose for many vulnerable people," she said. "The solution to hardship at the end of life is not to normalise suicide."

The Bottom Line:

While it is a good thing to fight against legalizing assisted dying, it is inherently contradictory to fight to save one group of vulnerable people while actively promoting death among another group.