Transport for London has been slammed for allowing an ‘utterly disgraceful’ assisted dying legislation advert to be plastered onto a wall next to a London Underground platform.
The advert – created by Let Us Choose , a campaign to legalise assisted dying – has left a number of people furious after it was spotted at stations across the Tube network.
It shows a woman, dressed in stripped pink and white pyjamas, dancing in a kitchen next to the words: ‘My dying wish is my family won’t see me suffer. And I won’t have to.’
It comes as MPs are bracing themselves for a tense debate on Friday over the proposed assisted dying bill, with a potential vote on the matter possible for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Private Members’ Bill proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has sparked deep splits in the Cabinet, and across the political spectrum.
The legislation put forward by Ms Leadbeater would allow terminally ill adults expected to die within six months to get help to end their life.
But opponents are concerned legalising assisted dying in any form could be a slippery slope that could lead to people with non-terminal illnesses or even mental health issues being allowed to end their lives.
Since photographs of the ads were first posted to social media, Londoners have reported seeing them at some of the city’s busiest stations, including Westminster and Oxford Circus.
The advert – created by the Let Us Choose – Legalise Assisted Dying campaign – has left a number of people furious after it was spotted on the platform of an unnamed London tube stop
One poster was spotted by author Adrian Hilton, who posted on X: ‘Who at @TFL thought it was remotely appropriate to promote assisted suicide on the London Underground?’
The adverts have been condemned by those on both side of the assisted dying debate, with one writing on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I’m not against assisted dying in certain circumstances, but to advertise like this is unbelievably crass and insensitive.
‘It makes me feel sick to be honest.’
Another added they had been in Oxford Circus station when they had seen the adverts while on the escalator.
They said: ‘[Assisted dying] is now being promoted in the same way as a trip to the theatre to see Wicked or the Lion King. Pure evil.’
Others slammed the adverts as ‘completely tasteless’ and ‘shocking’.
It comes amid a heated debate over the proposed policy, which has divided both Cabinet and Parliament.
It’s understood the eventual vote on the bill will not be whipped by the main political parties, meaning MPs are free to vote with their conscience rather than facing pressure to follow a certain party line.
Sir Keir Starmer previously indicated he would support the bill in the face of cabinet opposition
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded the policy a ‘slippery slope towards death on demand’
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded the policy a ‘slippery slope towards death on demand’ in a letter to her constituents.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also been critical, but Keir Starmer has hinted he will back the plan – which gained momentum after a campaign by terminally ill TV star Esther Rantzen.
As politicians wrestle with their positions, polls have suggested that the public supports the principle of assisted dying – although there are doubts about how it would be implemented in practice.
Research by More in Common has found nearly two thirds favour the idea, with just 13 per cent opposed and 22 per cent unsure.
The poll found the majority of Brits regard strict safeguards as ‘essential’ to an assisted dying law.
However, 71 per cent said it was possible to create policy with the right protections, against 29 per cent who thought it was not.
The bill was seen as happening at about the right pace by 51 per cent, while a further 13 per cent said it was too slow. Nearly a fifth said it was happening too quickly.
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