The Ad That Radicalised Me

This is one of a series of posters that adorn the walls of Westminster Underground station, through which many MPs and aides travel to work. On Friday, MPs will be voting on whether or not to legalise assisted dying. The posters, funded by a campaign group called Dignity In Dying, present a series of individuals happily contemplating the prospect of ending their own lives. The vibe is feel-good, joyful and glossy, somewhere between a cosmetics brand and Kamala Harris ‘24. I think they are the creepiest ads I’ve ever seen.

When this bill was introduced a couple of months ago, I didn’t have much of an opinion on the issue. I’d read that things were getting pretty weird in Canada and the Netherlands, so I was wary. But the case for legalising euthanasia is undeniably powerful. Many people have experienced at first or second-hand situations in which the end of a person’s life becomes unbearable for the person themselves and for their loved ones. It seems only humane to give suffering people, in certain very limited situations - this bill applies only to terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live - control over how to end their lives.