Actress Sophie Turner signs letter opposing UK assisted dying bill

Actress Sophie Turner has articulated her concerns against proposed assisted suicide legislation under debate in the United Kingdom (UK), cautioning that it could have deleterious ramifications for young people suffering from mental illness and eating disorders.

Key Takeaways:

• Actress Sophie Turner has signed on to a letter that urges Peers in the UK House of Lords to "pause" the debated assisted suicide bill, as she believes it would put people with eating disorders at risk.

• Turner suffered from an eating disorder as a young actress and now tries to help others with similar struggles.

• Signers of the letter are concerned that the definition of 'terminally ill' may be so broad that it could allow individuals who develop complications resulting from their eating disorders to meet this definition.

The Details:

Faith leaders, medical professionals, and pro-life advocates have expressed concerns about The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which erroneously treats suffering as a loss of human dignity and risks normalizing death as solution to human suffering instead of opting for recovery.

Actress Sophie Turner of "Game of Thrones" and "X-Men" franchise fame, signed on to a letter of concern regarding the potential ramifications of legalizing assisted suicide. The Daily Mail reported:

"[Turner]... has previously spoken candidly about her own battle with an eating disorder and now campaigns to help others. The actress has spoken about the effect that spending her teenage years on screen had on her mental health. She struggled with bulimia after she was told to lose weight on Game of Thrones."

The letter, put together by the Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders, has also gained the backing from groups such as the mental health charity, Mind. TV presenter Gail Porter and former Hollyoaks actor Stephanie Waring added their names to the letter as well. 

The letter calls on Peers in Britain’s House of Lords to “pause” the legislation to work on safeguards, stating that bill’s definition of 'terminally ill' could result in people with eating disorders “assessed as eligible for assisted death.”

According to The Independent:

A central argument within the letter is that the definition of "terminally ill" could be interpreted to encompass individuals with eating disorders "who develop severe physical complications from starvation, purging, or restricting insulin".

Furthermore, the signatories reject the notion that someone with an eating disorder would be ineligible for an assisted death due to a lack of capacity. They argue this stance "reflects a misunderstanding of both capacity and the nature of these illnesses" because people with eating disorders "are often coherent and capable of making decisions unrelated to nutrition, even when severely ill".

The letter says the bill poses "serious risk... to people with eating disorders," as it "could make individuals with eating disorders eligible for assisted death at times when they are unable to access or accept treatment. Many young people who could recover with effective care might instead receive lethal medication during a period of despair.”

 The letter asks Peers “to pause and ensure that legislation intended to bring compassion to those facing terminal illness does not end the lives of those who could still recover.”

The Independent added that as the bill is currently written, it "would permit terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with a prognosis of less than six months to live, to seek an assisted death. This would be subject to approval from two medical practitioners and a panel comprising a social worker, a senior legal professional, and a psychiatrist.” 

The Bottom Line:

Turner’s comments lend a high-profile voice to the negative consequences of assisted suicide legislation in Great Britain and beyond.

Though they likely approach the issue from different perspectives, Turner's views echo those of many pro-life advocates who have rightfully contended that Britain’s proposed assisted suicide legislation communicates the falsehood that terminating one’s life is preferrable to seeking life-affirming help and recovery solutions to any illness.