'Nurse told my mum to suffocate me at birth - here's why I'm against assisted dying'

Andrew Peel's experiences ofdiscrimination began before he could even say a word - and now he's speaking up against an he holds grave concerns about.

Born in 1958, Andrew was diagnosed with - a congenital condition that occurs when a baby's spine and spinal cord don't form fully in the womb. After taking him to a hospital in for a lifesaving operation, Andrew's mother was told by a nurse to 'just put him down on his face and suffocate him, to get the job over with'.

He went on to undergo 27 surgeries, which have allowed him to walk, and despite being told he wouldn't celebrate his 40th birthday, he's now 66. And while dealing with experiencing chronic pain, he's enjoyed a full and interesting life.

With a successful career in local councils behind him, retired senior manager Andrew is also happily married - having tied the knot with his wife in Las Vegas 28 years ago. After being written off at such an early age, fiercely determined Andrew was inspired to become a campaigner against assisted dying, and he's now concerned about the impact potential new legislation could have on those living with disabilities.

This week, a new Bill was formally introduced before the which could mean that terminally ill adults in England and Wales could be helped to end their lives 'subject to safeguards and protections'. It's likely this legislation, referred to as Ms Leadbeater’s Bill for choice at the end of life for the terminally ill, will be debated and likely voted on this November 29.

Supported by high-profile voices such as Dame Esther Rantzen, this controversial Bill also has a number of powerful opponents, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and actor and disability campaigner Liz Carr. Andrew too is strongly against such legislation, which he believes could have terrible consequences.

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Pointing to laws previously rolled out in countries like Canada and the Netherlands, Andrew, who has retired to Fife after living and working in the Manchester area, warns that we could be looking at something 'beyond a slippery slope, like a mountain' should the UK follow suit.

Back in July of this year, as reported by a Montreal woman with spina bifida was shocked to have been told on two separate occasions that she would be eligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID) by hospital staff, after seeking treatment for an injury. Tracy Polewczuk told the publication: "It feels like we are being pushed towards the MAID program instead of being given the help to live."

Commenting on the situation in Canada, which he finds alarming, Andrew told the : "They put in exactly the same strictures in their legislation as what's being proposed over here. Then somebody younger than the people who it was meant for took a case to the Canadian courts to challenge it because they wanted the right to die as well.

"Then the courts agreed on the equal opportunities legislation that those younger people could also get the same right to die. Steadily over time in Canada, people in their 20s can now walk in with mental health issues, saying that they no longer want to drink and have been allowed to have lethal injections. That was never intended."

Against the backdrop of a mental health crisis in the UK, Andrew now fears the effect this Bill could have on young people who think 'life isn't worth living'. In Andrew's experience, those with disabilities who experience suicidal thoughts often do so because of the 'constant pain', noting a severe lack of support in the area that the government had yet to address.

Although he notes there is a lot of 'disjointed support' out there, from a mix of charities and health services, Andrew says this can be complicated and difficult to access, especially for those living in rural areas like himself. According to Andrew: "When you go to your GP, they only have 20 minutes to talk to you about something, but they talk to you about each condition. So in my case, I have maybe eight or nine conditions that can flare up at any one time, but I can only talk to them about one condition.

"And you have to go and book an appointment that can take two to three weeks to talk to them about the one condition. So for complex conditions or long-term conditions, there needs to be a hub or something that you can go to talk to them about the whole package. Almost like an MOT'."

Andrew, whose pain is often at nine or 10 on the pain scale, has found emotional support through the Men's Sheds Association, which connects men through community-focused workshops. It's here where he enjoys a 'laugh and a joke' and a chance to talk about things. However, he feels that many disabled people in the UK simply don't have this support, and are instead left 'at home to watch TV'.

Calling for more support for those in the disabled community, Andrew said: "It's about the alternatives to issues that people are facing that drive them to become suicidal or don't want to live with what they've got. Because I also don't like the term assisted dying. What we're talking about here is assisting people to commit suicide. This isn't about assisted dying. It's about assisting someone to commit suicide. And they're calling it assisted dying to make it more palatable to get the legislation through."

If a Bill is passed and people are allowed to die at a time of their choosing, Andrew noted that the would likely make savings. In this instance, he believes this money should be put back into the NHS to improve palliative care services, helping improve the quality of life of those nearing the end. This, he argues, was not the case in Canada, where 'not a single dollar' was put into palliative care services, as had been promised.

Andrew explained: " has got a £22 million black hole in her economy at the moment. They're already saying that there are a lot of people who are a burden on the health economy as it is. In Canada, the only reason why this bill was passed was because they promised to put the savings that would be made by these people dying early into palliative care. Not a single Canadian dollar was actually put from those savings into palliative care."

With this in mind, Andrew reflected: "People shouldn't feel that they're a burden at the end of their life, they should feel the opposite. In some cultures, people at the end of life should feel like they're valued. They're the most valued members of the community because of the wisdom they've got and the experience."

If the Bill gets past the first post on November 29, there will be a line-by-line examination in committee and further Commons votes before it is sent to the Lords, where the process begins once again. This means any changes would not be agreed upon until next year at the earliest.

It's also possible that MPs could vote against the Bill at the end of November, as they last did in 2015. In this case, it would be prevented from going any further. Precise details of the proposed legislation – outlining circumstances under which a person would be eligible - are unlikely to be published until closer to the debate.

Campaign group My Death, My Decision, has described the introduction of the Bill as a 'bittersweet moment', stating that it was a 'significant and long-awaited step' to 'end the inhumane blanket ban on assisted dying'. However, the group, which has pledged to keep campaigning, also remarked that a number of conditions "can make life intolerable for the sufferer well before they can be described as terminal, or the diagnosis of terminal status may come too late, when the patient has lost mental capacity".

The Mirror has reached out to the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.

If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email or visit their site to find your local branch

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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