Re Susan Hampshire’s article in your series on assisted dying (‘We wouldn’t let animals die in misery. Why should humans?’: Susan Hampshire on why dying must be a choice, 17 June), the problem with assisted dying is not the principle, but the practice. The reality is far more complex than has been presented.
Hampshire says it has been working “perfectly well” in places like Canada and the US. In Canada, people with disabilities have chosen euthanasia not because of their disability, but because their disability allowance is so small that they cannot afford to live. One individual, who could not find affordable housing compatible with their disability, said: “I’ve applied for MAiD [medical assistance in dying] essentially because of abject poverty.”
