Jonathan, I am surprised by your view that the remedy lies in the ballot box. This normally refers to the electorate’s choice whether to change the governing party. But assisted dying is not part of the government’s legislative programme. It’s a private member’s bill. Are you suggesting that constituents should take note of how their particular MP has voted and take appropriate action at the next available election? I accept that you and your wife have contacted Fleur Anderson but I am not sure that the British political system works that way. The YouGov poll to which you refer suggests that 73% support the bill as it stands but the same poll also suggests that 59% support the bill in principle but oppose it in practice. This does not make any sense, illustrating the problem of assessing public opinion on complex issues. For that reason I don’t think opinion polls can or should be the basis of fundamental social legislation.No one wishes to see people subjected to protracted suffering at the end of their lives. The question is how best to find a remedy. This should be the subject of wide public consultation, including professional bodies such as the BMA and the RCN as well as hospice charities and disability groups, so that Parliament can finally make an informed decision.My own view, for what it is worth, is that the best solution lies in palliative care, which is improving all the time. And where that fails there is already, I suspect, an informal system of assisted dying whereby sympathetic doctors administer pain relieving drugs which hasten death. I find the proposals in Kim Leadbetter’s bill impractical and actually rather ghastly. The image of ‘Soylent Green’ comes to mind, if you have ever seen that film.
Steven Rose ● 31d