A history professor at the University of Sunderland has been sent a letter of warning after speaking out against assisted suicide on social media.

Key Takeaways:

• Dr. Kevin Yuill is an emeritus professor of history at the University of Sunderland in England.

• He speaks against assisted suicide frequently on social media, which the United Kingdom is considering legalizing.

• Yuill said he received a warning letter from the university due to his anti-assisted suicide advocacy which he described as a "veiled threat."

The Details:

In an interview with The Telegraph, Yuill said he received a warning letter from the University of Sunderland, where he lectures as an emeritus professor of history. Yuill regularly campaigns against assisted suicide, and is chief executive of Humanists Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.

Yuill said he was sent a warning letter from the university in June, after a complaint was made about his advocacy. Initially, he was not even told what the complaint was about, and was just given the warning letter instead.

The Telegraph obtained the e-mails, and reported Yuill was told to “'reflect carefully' about his emeritus title because [it] 'carries an expectation that its use does not adversely affect the institution or conflict with its core values, including respect and responsible public discourse.'"

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The complaint alleged that Yuill lacked empathy, and took issue with his description of pro-euthanasia activists as "Orwellian." It also claimed that he was causing "reputational damage" to the university, and was not objective as is expected of an academic.

This, Yuill said, was a blatant attack on his right to free speech.

“It’s an outrageous thing for them to do,” Yuill said. “It seemed to be a veiled threat, and I think it’s too reactive.”

He continued:

"That was out of order. It’s fair enough if they want to say something like, ‘Oh, we’ve received this complaint, what is your response?’ That would have been a reasonable thing. It’s a bit Kafkaesque when you get a complaint that you have no idea what it’s about, and or even which medium it was about.

Where have I said this? When have I said this? To whom have I said this? If they had just said, ‘Look, obviously, please don’t bring the university into disrepute by anything you say’, I would have assured them that I don’t."

Yuill's lawyers are asking for an apology from the university, as well as a statement expressing support for freedom of speech. He said:

“I’m hoping it will make them think twice before reacting to complaints of a similar nature, so my hope is it will be a bit of a lesson for them, which is why I’ve gone full on with this whole thing.

Not because it’s a threat to me, but for younger colleagues who are in paid positions, I don’t think it’s in anybody’s interest to have Sunderland censoring their ideas or even pushing them to self-censor their ideas.”

The Committee for Academic Freedom is currently supporting Yuill, and research director Freddie Attenborough told the Telegraph the letter is concerning. “Academic freedom means little if academics have to worry that expressing controversial views within the law might put their institutional status or privileges at risk,” he said. “Universities should be protecting the space for those disagreements, not adding institutional pressure to one side of them."

Elliot Hammer, the solicitor representing Yuill, added, “Academic freedom is incredibly important for the proper functioning of our higher education sector, and so I’m proud to represent Dr. Yuill in this case.”

The Big Picture:

This summer, Labour MP Lauren Edwards promised to reintroduce the controversial “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” after it previously failed to pass parliament, and it was officially introduced in June. It had its first reading in July, and is set for a second reading and vote in September.

The first bill was introduced by Kim Leadbeater and failed to pass after it did not meet the May deadline for legislation to be approved. It was contested by many voters, who expressed concern about the bill, particularly about the potential for coercion and profit. It faced particularly heavy opposition from disability advocates, including Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a former Paralympian, and actress Sophie Turner, known for her roles in the "X-Men" and "Game of Thrones" series.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to prioritize better funding of palliative and social care over legalizing assisted suicide, saying these services do not receive enough funding as it currently stands.

"Personally, I think there's something that needs to happen first, and that's the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care," he said. "I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care."

The Bottom Line:

It's concerning that assisted suicide is not only being pushed through parliament again, but that those who speak against it must now fear facing professional repercussions for doing so.