A self-described “cancer thriver” has warned that assisted suicide could cause terminally ill people to be “written off”.
Councillor Rue Grewal was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017 which is now stage four. It caused her to spiral into despair, and she is certain she would have chosen assisted suicide then if it had been available to her.
Now she is a district councillor and works with the cancer support charity One Vision. She has spoken against assisted suicide, criticising its lack of safeguards for terminally ill people struggling with their mental health.
Cllr Grewal explained that following her diagnosis: “I didn’t even want to do my treatment. My mental health was so bad”.
She described going through “a moment – or period – of despair that felt permanent, but wasn’t”, and said she understood how easily a person can fall into thoughts “that it would be better – for you, for everyone – if you just slipped away”.
She added: “I just don’t want people to be written off and think that’s the easy option”, and shared that she “would have gone down that road”.
The councillor expressed her anger that MPs voted Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill through the House of Commons, saying it causes her “deep, visceral, personal fear”.