Law Lords recently ruled that the Director of Public Prosecutions must provide clearer guidance on whether people should expect to be prosecuted for aiding a suicide, whether abroad or in this country.
But such a change to the guidance could transform perception and practice about whether people should face the choice of death over life.
I understand the heartfelt anxiety facing those with terminal illness and those who care for them, which lead some to want the right to choose to die. Generally I support an individual's right to self determination, but liberalization of assisted suicide has fundamental implications for society.
I worry greatly about how any new guidance could be crafted to avoid the possibility of vulnerable elderly people being put in a position where they feel compelled to make such a choice.
The Chief Constable of South Wales has also voiced her concerns that this might open the door to unscrupulous families being able to kill their unwanted relatives.
The present law is not perfect, but it does draw a clear distinction between the removal of treatment and allowing nature to take its course on the one hand, and the active commission of death on the other.
If change is to be considered it should not be dealt with solely by the DPP or backdoor attempts to introduce assisted suicide clauses into other legislation. If the Government wants to change the law, it must provide appropriate time for a specific Bill to be fully debated in the House of Commons.
