A “disproportionate” number of ethnic minority people could choose assisted death in England and Wales if Parliament approves legislation allowing assisted dying, according to a new government equality impact assessment.
Labour MP Lauren Edwards is scheduled to lead the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Sept. 11. The bill would allow adults who are terminally ill and reasonably expected to die within six months to request and be provided with assistance to end their own lives. The previous version of the bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed the House of Commons in June 2025 but did not complete its passage through the House of Lords before the 2024-26 parliamentary session ended. It therefore fell without becoming law.
Last month, palliative care expert Scott Murray told Christian Daily International that no reliable diagnostic resource exists to predict with certainty whether a patient is likely to die within six months.
The government’s equality impact assessment for the new bill identifies potential risks for ethnic minority groups. It says structural pressures involving poverty, poorer access to health care, lower-quality care and domestic abuse “could result in disproportionate numbers of ethnic minority people” choosing an assisted death to avoid financial hardship or escape abuse.
The government has also increased its central estimate of the number of assisted deaths in the bill’s 10th year by 60%, from 2,183 to 3,502 annually, according to the impact assessment. The high scenario has increased from 4,559 to 6,257 deaths a year.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned that “the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care” is needed before further parliamentary debates on the issue.
Burnham said it would be deeply challenging to hold that debate while people were not receiving the care they needed or the peace of mind that such care would be available.
Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan, CEO of Right to Life UK, said the government’s equality assessment supports concerns about the potential impact of the legislation.
“In the impact assessment, the Government has warned that structural pressures such as poverty, inadequate care, neglect and abuse could result in disproportionate numbers of people from ethnic-minority backgrounds opting to end their lives through assisted suicide,” Hungerford-Morgan said.
“Parliament should be focusing on introducing policies that provide care, protection and support for people facing these structural pressures who may feel pressure to end their lives, not assisted suicide.”
“Given the state of palliative and social care in this country, introducing assisted suicide would be a disaster.”
Hungerford-Morgan also pointed to the government’s revised estimate of assisted deaths in the bill’s 10th year, which increased by 60%, from 2,183 to 3,502 deaths annually.
“Its high scenario now exceeds 6,250 deaths annually, more than 17 every day, and even that is not a maximum,” he said.
“MPs should put care first and vote against this dangerous Bill at Second Reading on Sept. 11.”
A multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) poll of 10,000 people, cited by Right to Life UK, found concerns about the previous version of the bill. Legalizing assisted suicide was the least-favored priority among the issues surveyed, with 7% support.
Meanwhile, hospices in England ended the last financial year with a collective deficit of more than £70 million, more than double the previous year, according to Hospice UK. At least 33 hospices have already made significant cuts to services, while almost 60% of hospices have either made changes or are considering reductions.
Hospice UK has warned that “nearly one in three people who need palliative care miss out on the support they need.”
Official data cited in the government assessments show assisted deaths rose 48% in New Zealand between 2022 and 2026, while California recorded a nearly 150% increase from 2020 to 2025. The assessment also cites research from Oregon in which nearly 40% of patients expressed fear of being a burden on loved ones.
The government’s assessment highlights concerns about potential coercion and pressure, disparities in access to palliative care, the use of unlicensed medications and differing positions among health care organizations, including the British Geriatrics Society and the Association for Palliative Medicine. The government notes, however, that evidence on the effects of assisted-dying policies is limited and that evidence from other jurisdictions may not be directly transferable to the proposed service in England and Wales.
