Three-quarters of Brits fear people with learning difficulties could be coerced into assisted suicide, poll finds

THREE-quarters of Brits fear those with learning difficulties might be vulnerable to coercion or manipulation into assisted suicide, new polling shows. The stark warning comes as MPs vote on the revived assisted suicide bill today after it was blocked by the House of Lords. Concern is even higher among disabled people with 84 per cent of respondents believing those with learning disabilities were more likely to face pressure to end their lives. Down’s Syndrome Research Foundation (DSRF) Chair Dr Elizabeth Corcoran said MPs cannot “pretend” their decisions are being made in a vacuum. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! She said: “People with learning disabilities deserve proper care and support first. MPs should not pass a Bill with irreversible consequences while these problems remain.” Andy Burnham has said Labour must prioritise fixing palliative and social care before considering assisted dying. But the Prime Minister will not vote on the Bill when it returns to the Commons, in order to avoid swaying the debate. DSRF UK trustee Sarah Costerton, the mother of a child with Down’s syndrome, said: “Nobody should ever feel that death is the easier option because the support they need is unavailable, because they feel like a burden or because somebody has misunderstood what they really want.”