There is a “significant risk” that victims of coercive control could be put under pressure to end their own lives using assisted dying legislation, charities have warned.
The Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) and Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse were among expert organisations that made submissions earlier this month to the committee examining the assisted dying bill, warning that the plans in their current form could endanger victims of coercive control.
The groups said discussion of the proposals had so far failed to consider domestic abuse or the risk that perpetrators could coerce or pressure victims into assisted dying.
Kim Leadbeater MP, who introduced the bill, which covers England and Wales, said she welcomed the contributions of these groups and was “absolutely committed to ensuring the right protections are in the bill”.
Nogah Ofer, solicitor at the CWJ, said: “The evidence shows that coercive control frequently results in victims losing their own sense of self and self-worth, and is closely linked with both domestic homicide and suicide related to domestic abuse.
“We know some perpetrators of coercive and controlling behaviour drive their victims to suicide, either because the victim cannot see a way out of the abuse, or because the perpetrator deliberately tells the victim she is worthless and should kill herself.
“There will be some cases where perpetrators of domestic abuse, especially coercive and controlling behaviour, pressure victims to seek to end their lives. There’s a significant risk that, through this dynamic, coercion will play a part in some cases of assisted dying.”
Ofer said the CWJ was concerned that some medical doctors and psychiatrists did not have the skills or training to identify coercive control and said that the involvement of psychologists or other relevant professionals with specialist knowledge was needed.
Coercive control is a form of domestic abuse defined by Women’s Aid as an act, or pattern of acts, of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse used to harm, punish or frighten a victim. It became a specific criminal offence in England and Wales in 2015 but experts say it can be difficult for non-specialists to recognise.
In recent years, campaigners have called for abusers to be convicted of manslaughter in cases where their victims have gone on to take their own lives. In 2024, Ryan Wellings was charged with manslaughter after his partner, Kiena Dawes, wrote “[he] killed me” in a note found after her suicide. Wellings was found guilty of assault and controlling behaviour in January but cleared of manslaughter. An 2023 inquest ruled the death by suicide of Kellie Sutton in 2017 was an “unlawful killing”, following her partner’s conviction for coercive and controlling behaviour.
Prof Jane Monckton-Smith, a leading expert on domestic homicide, said she had “grave concerns” about the assisted dying bill and that it needed “significant consideration and mention of coercive and controlling behaviour and domestic abuse, and its potential impact on victim decision-making”.
Monckton-Smith warned that perpetrators who kill their victims sometimes “stage” their deaths as suicides. “Assisted dying could be coerced suicide, or it could be a staged suicide,” she said. “Both are highly likely in domestic abuse.”
She added: “Any professionals, medical, legal or otherwise, assessing someone who has made a request to die should have specialist training in coercive control and domestic abuse … and there should be guidance for professionals in making sure there is no domestic abuse or coercive control in that victim’s life.”
Cherryl Henry-Leach, CEO of Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, told the Observer her organisation was worried the legislation could be “misused as a tool for femicide”.
Henry-Leach said: “Domestic abuse often escalates when a victim becomes ill, disabled, or vulnerable, and abusers exploit this dependence to manipulate and control their victims. The assisted dying bill does not adequately address how these dynamics could intersect with end-of-life decisions, leaving vulnerable individuals at risk of being coerced into ending their lives.”
Henry-Leach said the bill should include a clearer definition of coercion, mandated domestic abuse training for professionals, and specialist domestic abuse screening as part of the assessment process.
“We must ensure dignity in death is upheld by implementing safeguards in this bill to prevent any potential misuse as a tool for coercive control, exploitation, or harm,” she said.
Kim Leadbeater said: “I take very seriously the thoughts of organisations who work with domestic abuse victims and welcome their contributions to this important debate.
“Under the status quo, terminally ill people, including women, are taking matters into their own hands; taking their own lives at home or travelling overseas. Right now we cannot know whether these people have made an entirely voluntary decision, free from coercion, and in full knowledge of all options open to them.
“Overseas evidence shows that upfront safeguards to detect and prevent potential coercion, such as those included in the bill, work. I have listened to experts and drawn from best practice to propose amendments which include an explicit role for social workers in the process and a requirement for assessing doctors to receive bespoke training in detecting coercion and pressure.
“I remain absolutely committed to ensuring the right protections are in the bill, and am continuing to meet with stakeholder groups to discuss their thoughts. The bill would introduce much-needed legal clarity and front-loaded protections, provide meaningful, upfront scrutiny of decisions, as well as true choice for terminally ill people who want and need it as they die.”
