A compassionate society cannot shy away from a debate around assisted dying
The issue of assisted dying is a sensitive one but it is a debate that we as a society must not shy away from.
And that debate should be led by patients and clinicians, as their voices are the most trusted on dignity in death.
It cannot be left to the state to decide whether patients should be allowed to end their suffering.
That is why it is worth at least considering Paul Blomfield’s plea for a change in the law to introduce assisted dying.
Mr Blomfield, who was the Labour MP for Sheffield Central until stepping down ahead of this year’s General Election, has been a long campaigner for assisted dying, since his father took his own life following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The former MP has now taken on the role of Chair of Dignity in Dying, a campaigning group for a change in euthanasia laws.
It is hard to imagine what those who have been given a terminal diagnosis are going through.
That is why it is important that their voices are heard.
Assisted dying is a complex and emotive matter. There are those that will argue that there are already care pathways for people with terminal illnesses but at the same time there are those that have little more than pain and suffering facing them.
There is also the argument that assisted dying is already a preserve of the well-off, who are able to make trips to clinics abroad.
What any future policy should not be allowed to become is an excuse for not investing in the healthcare system to cope with an ageing population.