J.K. Rowling Comes Out Against Legalizing Assisted Suicide

I have always believed that liberals should be leading opponents of assisted suicide. After all, two of the core tenets of liberalism are (supposed to be) protecting vulnerable people from exploitation and promoting equality among all people. But other than disability-rights activists, most liberals tend to support legalization based on “choice.”

Mega author J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, is definitely a political liberal. Indeed, her activism pushing against gender ideology is founded in protecting children and securing women’s private spaces.

Now, with legalization having passed the U.K. House of Commons and the bill now being debated in the House of Lords, she has come out in opposition to state-sanctioned assisted suicide. From The Lion story:

Author J.K. Rowling has announced she no longer supports the legalization of assisted suicide, citing concerns about the risks of coercion and the message such laws send to vulnerable people.

Her comments come as the U.K.’s House of Lords debates the Assisted Dying Bill, which would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to request physician-assisted death under limited conditions.

“I used to believe in assisted dying,” Rowling wrote in a post on X. “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.”

Her husband, Dr. Neil Murray, is a practicing physician who she says helped her understand the potential dangers.

Not to mention that with legalization, some suicidal people are offered facilitation instead of prevention, thereby transforming them into a perceived killable caste whose lives are of lesser value.

Good for Rowling. Liberal leaders of popular culture usually boost assisted suicide when they take a side. I hope her advocacy convinces the Lords to kill the bill instead of the ill.