As Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill makes its way through the House of Commons, I am calling on MPs scrutinising the proposed law to ensure it cannot be used by people with eating disorders to end their lives.

The proposed law would give terminally ill adults the right to chose to end their life if they are deemed to have the mental capacity to make the choice, and are ‘expected to die within six months’. Two doctors would need to assess each request to determine whether the person meets the eligibility criteria.

While mental illness alone cannot be used as grounds for an assisted death under the proposed Bill, because of the serious health risks associated with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, in extreme cases they might be regarded as terminal conditions.

Having myself spent many years hospitalised for an eating disorder which nearly killed me on several occasions, had this law passed ten years ago, I might have been eligible for an assisted death. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, from medical complications associated with the illness as well as suicide. But it’s not a death sentence.

In fact, according to research, 46% of anorexia patients make a full recovery. Five years on from my last admission, I count myself among that number. MPs must ensure that people experiencing the life-threatening physical effects of an eating disorder are not eligible for an assisted death under the proposed law.

A small group of cross-party MPs is currently scrutinising the Bill line-by-line in the Commons. At this stage, MPs are also able to suggest amendments to the proposed law. Now is the time to act. Sign the petition.

More information about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill can be found here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3774

A list of the MPs scrutinising the Bill can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3e34gvzlv0o