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actress Sophie Turner He and other campaigners have issued a dire warning regarding what they believe is a “serious risk”. Proposed assisted dying bill Poses for individuals struggling with eating disorders.
Acclaimed star, best known for her roles game of Throneswho has previously spoken openly about her struggles with a eating disorderare among the prominent personalities who have co-signed Letter addressed to peers in the House of LordsThe draft law is currently under intense scrutiny by the Upper House,
If passed into law, the bill would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live in England and Wales to seek an assisted death. This will be subject to approval from a panel of two medical practitioners and a social worker, a senior legal professional and a psychiatrist.
However, Ms Turner, who revealed in a 2022 Eli magazine interview That “for a long time, I was quite ill with an eating disorder”, has now expressed “deep concern” over the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The letter, run by the Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders, has also received support from organizations including mental health charity Mind, and includes signatures from TV presenter Gail Porter and former… hollyoaks Actor Stephanie Waring.
Published on Tuesday, the letter clearly states: “We are writing to express our deep concerns about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and the serious threat it poses to people with eating disorders.”
It continues: “If passed, this bill could make individuals with eating disorders eligible for assisted death at a time when they are unable to access or accept treatment.”
The signatories further warn: “Many youth who could recover with effective care may receive lethal drugs during periods of despair.”
A central argument within the letter is that the definition of “terminally ill” could be interpreted to include individuals with eating disorders “who develop serious physical complications from starvation, purging, or restricting insulin”.
Furthermore, the signatories reject the notion that someone suffering from an eating disorder would be ineligible for assisted death due to lack of capacity. They argue that this stance “reflects a misunderstanding of both the 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 seriously ill”.
House of Lords members are scheduled to gather again on Friday for the second of at least four committee sessions devoted to the bill’s provisions. A record-breaking number of over 900 amendments have already been introduced, seeking to change various aspects of the draft law.
Still, Ms. Turner and her fellow signatories argue: “The amendments can reduce the risk for people with eating disorders but cannot remove it completely.”
He emphasizes that “the deeper problem lies with the health care system itself.”
The letter highlights, “Decades of underinvestment, limited research and poor coordination have left services overstretched and fragmented. Families have to wait months, sometimes years, for treatment while the disease progresses to more severe, complex and life-threatening stages.”
The group has urged peers to “pause and ensure that a law aimed at bringing compassion to people facing terminal illness does not end the lives of those who may still be cured”.
The bill, in its current form, specifies that a person who would not otherwise meet the definition of being terminally ill “shall not be deemed to meet those requirements merely as a result of voluntarily ceasing to eat or drink”.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in the Commons last year, previously said the amendment – introduced earlier this year – combined with existing safeguards, would prevent people with eating disorders from falling within its scope.
Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of terminally ill broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen and supporter of the bill, has previously warned against “intimidation” by addressing concerns about the vulnerability of people with eating disorders under a new law.
However, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has also expressed concerns last year, insisting that the Bill should explicitly “exclude the physical effects of a mental disorder such as anorexia or dementia as grounds for eligibility for assisted dying”.
The bill’s passage into law is dependent on the consent of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on its final drafting, and approval is required before the current parliamentary session ends in the spring.