Author J.K. Rowling recently listed the way her views on various topics, from gender ideology to religion, have changed over the years.
One of the issues she has changed on, she said in a September 12 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, was euthanasia.
"I used to believe in assisted dying. I no longer do, largely because I'm married to a doctor who opened my eyes to the possibilities of coercion of sick or vulnerable people," said Rowling.
Rowling's comments come as the House of Lords in the United Kingdom debates whether to legalize "assisted dying" in the country.
The U.K. Parliament voted on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill last November, and the bill is presently in the House of Lords.
The bill would “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life; and for connected purposes,” says the website for the U.K. Parliament.
Presently, the act of helping someone die by suicide or encouraging someone to die by suicide is illegal in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, where Rowling lives, helping someone die by suicide can result in charges of culpable homicide.
J.K. Rowling's change of heart
Rowling's decision to now oppose "assisted dying" stands against the growing acceptance and increased legality of the practice both in the United States and worldwide.
This change is also noteworthy given her history with a loved one who suffered from a debilitating condition. Rowling's mother died in 1990 from complications related to multiple sclerosis. Neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, are among the top reasons people who receive euthanasia or assisted dying seek to end their lives.
The possibility of the coercion of terminally ill patients to end their lives is a noted concern of disability rights groups around the world, as well as the possibility that legislation would expand to include non-terminal patients.
"Many people who are in favour of assisted suicide argue that it is only for people with a terminal diagnosis, but it is pretty much impossible to distinguish between many terminal illnesses and many progressive conditions," said the website for the disability rights groups Not Dead Yet U.K.
"Plus, as we have seen around the world, what starts off as something for people with a certain amount of time to live (which is impossible to predict accurately in any case), the laws can expand quickly to include all kinds of disabled people," said the group.
Words matter
During the debate in the House of Lords, former prime minister Baroness (Theresa) May referred to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as the “‘licence to kill’ Bill.”
May also stated the bill "effectively says suicide is okay" and referred to the legislation as an "assisted suicide bill."
May's peers who are in favor of the legislation criticized her, saying that her comments and phrasing upset those who are suffering from terminal illnesses.
But those who are against the bill defended the use of the term "suicide."
