Pam Coughlan
Pam Coughlan passed away on the 8th January 2025.
Paralysed as a result of a spinal cord injury in 1971, she took on the Secretary of State for Health and her local Health Authority and (with an inspirational legal team) won a great victory in 1999 that has helped countless disabled people.
Health bodies since that time have sought to water down the full impact of the judgment – but Pam was indomitable, campaigning until the end to ensure that her landmark judgment was respected. At a time when the judicial system seems to prioritise the interests of the state over the interests of disabled and other people experiencing severe disadvantage, we must hold onto the memory of Pam and realise that it does not have to be this way. That there have been and will be times when justice can rise up and hope and history rhyme.
Posted 16 January 2025