The Hidden Dangers of Assisted Suicide Laws for People with Disabilities
The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a powerful and deeply important report, The Danger of Assisted Suicide Laws, which explores how these laws pose serious risks to people with disabilities. As more states debate the legalization of assisted suicide, this report urges policymakers and the public to consider the lived experiences and heightened vulnerabilities of disabled individuals.
The NCD has long opposed assisted suicide laws. As far back as 1997, it published Assisted Suicide: A Disability Perspective, expressing concern that legalizing these practices could lead to the premature deaths of people with disabilities—deaths influenced not by choice, but by societal and systemic failures. In 2005, the NCD reinforced this view, pointing to growing cultural attitudes and court rulings that devalue disabled lives.
The report underscores how existing safeguards in assisted suicide legislation are largely ineffective. For example, insurance companies in some documented cases have denied coverage for life-sustaining treatment while offering to cover lethal medications instead—a choice that’s hardly equitable or compassionate. The report also reveals the risk of diagnostic errors; individuals might choose assisted suicide based on terminal diagnoses that later turn out to be incorrect.
Mental health screening procedures also differ dramatically for people with disabilities. The report finds that they are less likely to be referred for psychiatric evaluation before being approved for assisted suicide, despite well-documented disparities in access to mental health care. Compounding this issue are persistent societal biases that wrongly assume people with disabilities have a lower quality of life, a belief that can influence both medical advice and personal decisions.
Oversight is another major gap. In most states, there is little to no infrastructure in place to track errors, abuses, or patterns of harm related to assisted suicide, leaving people vulnerable with few avenues for redress or review.
In response, the NCD calls on lawmakers to strengthen support services for people with disabilities, train medical providers in disability competency, and implement systems of accountability and oversight to prevent abuse and error.
In the end, The Danger of Assisted Suicide Laws reminds us that assisted suicide is not merely a matter of personal choice—it is deeply intertwined with access to care, equity, and how society values the lives of disabled individuals. To protect the dignity and rights of all people, policies must reflect inclusive values and ensure that no one is left behind.
Read the full report here: NCD Report on Assisted Suicide