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Tanni Grey-Thompson, the cross-bench peer and former Paralympic athlete, has said she received “abusive” emails accusing her of being “responsible for people dying in pain” because of her opposition to the assisted dying bill.
Grey-Thompson, a multiple gold medallist and disability rights campaigner is expected to speak in Friday’s second reading of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales to request medical help to end their lives.
She told the Press Association that the debate had unleashed a flood of support and hostility. “I’ve had emails, people saying: ‘thank you so much for protecting us’. And I’ve had some incredibly abusive ones as well, saying that I’m responsible for people dying in pain, and it will be on me,” she said.
Grey-Thompson said her experience with her mother’s death from cancer means she understands people’s strong feelings but believes the focus should be on improving end-of-life care. “It’s absolutely appalling that people are scared about how they’re going to die. But we should be having proper specialist palliative care.”
On the abuse she has received, she added: “If you accept the role in the House of Lords, you have to accept there’s a lot of people who don’t like what you do.”
The bill, narrowly approved by MPs in June, has attracted significant attention in the Lords, with nearly 200 peers putting their names down to speak. Grey-Thompson said the outcome remained uncertain: “The bill could still fall. It could run out of [parliamentary] time.”
If it clears its second reading, it will go to committee and report stages for detailed scrutiny. Supporters hope it could reach the statute book by the end of the current parliamentary session, though it would not be implemented for four years.
The legislation is being steered through the Lords by the former lord chancellor Charlie Falconer, who has insisted it contains sufficient safeguards. “I feel very positive that the bill will pass,” he said. “I think the house will roll up its sleeves and get on with what it does best – scrutinising bills and seeing if they can be improved.”
Falconer dismissed concerns about deliberate obstruction. “I’ve heard rumours of procedural devices being used but I don’t think that will happen,” he said. He described the bill as “very, very safeguarded” but added: “If peers think there’s something that should be added, of course we will consider it.”
Campaigners including Esther Rantzen have urged peers not to obstruct the measure, while the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in the Commons last year, has called for no “funny games” in terms of procedure.
Grey-Thompson said she intended to table amendments aimed at strengthening protections. “It’s my intention to bring a number of amendments to make it as safe as it can possibly be. But we do need to have a really detailed discussion,” she said.
She raised concerns about possible coercion and warned that the bill could “fundamentally change our relationship with medicine, with doctors”.
Acknowledging that many peers are influenced by personal stories, Grey-Thompson warned against legislating on sentiment. “We have to be mindful of people but our job is not to govern on emotion. Emotion makes bad law,” she said.
She added: “We’re a long way off knowing what the outcome of this is going to be. What is really important is we absolutely have to debate the issue in a really sensible and calm way. Because whatever way you look at it, there’s a lot of people on the outside who are scared – scared of it not happening and scared of it happening.”
