Sophie Turner, the renowned actress from Game of Thrones, has issued a stark warning about the potential dangers of the proposed assisted dying legislation, fearing it could cause significant harm to individuals suffering from eating disorders.
The 29-year-old actress is spearheading a new campaign supported by mental health charities, arguing that the current draft of the law presents a serious risk to eating disorder patients. She is calling on peers in the House of Lords to halt their progress on the plans to ensure proper safeguards are in place.
An Open Letter of Concern
Turner has signed an open letter alongside television presenter Gail Porter and former Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Waring. All three women have personal experience with eating disorders. The letter highlights a critical flaw in The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, suggesting it could make individuals with eating disorders eligible for assisted death at times when they are unable to access or accept treatment.
The letter, coordinated by the recovery organisation Eat Breathe Thrive and backed by the mental health charity Mind, expressed a grave concern. It stated that many young people who could recover with effective care might instead receive lethal medication during a period of despair.
Evidence from Abroad and Personal Experience
The campaigners point to evidence from the United States, where similar assisted dying laws are in effect. They cite the case of a 36-year-old woman named Jessica from Colorado, who had anorexia and depression. According to the letter, her doctor deemed her illness incurable and prescribed lethal drugs.
Her family claimed she repeatedly said she did not want to die but felt she could not continue living in her condition. The letter alleges that at least 60 anorexic women have died in a similar manner, describing them as individuals whose illnesses had become life-threatening in the absence of effective treatment, not those who were inevitably dying.
Turner has previously spoken about her own struggles with bulimia as a teenage actress, where pressure from studio executives to lose weight was so intense that a therapist lived with her to manage her eating during filming.
The Bill's Progress and High-Profile Divisions
The assisted dying bill, which would legalise the practice for terminally ill adults in England and Wales, is currently being debated in the House of Lords. The legislation has sparked an unprecedented level of discussion, with nearly 1,000 amendments tabled – the highest number ever for a piece of backbench legislation.
The bill was narrowly approved by MPs in the House of Commons in June and received an unopposed second reading in the Lords in September, marking the furthest such legislation has ever progressed in Parliament.
However, the bill faces significant opposition. The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, has stated she and her Church of England colleagues are likely to table an amendment to vote on the principle of the bill, which she will vote against.
Conversely, the campaign has received high-profile support from 85-year-old TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer.
If the bill passes into law, the government would have four years to establish an assisted dying service, meaning the first assisted deaths might not occur until 2029 or 2030. The proposed law would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure, and a psychiatrist.
