Baroness Finlay led debate on the difficulty of assessing terminally ill patients and determining a prognosis - an issue critical to the viability of Lord Falconer's bill which was receiving its second day of committee consideration
Dr Jeff Stephenson, Medical Director of St Luke's Hospice in Plymouth, describes the challenges palliative care might be facing in 20 years time - in a Britain where assisted suicide is legal.
82% of Association for Palliative Medicine members oppose a change in the law on assisted suicide, with 72% saying passage of a Falconer-type bill would have an adverse effect on the delivery of palliative care
The Royal College of Physicians rejects assisted suicide following a survey of all fellows and members, maintaining the healthcare profession's clear commitment not to give up on the patients
Ahead of the Falconer Bill's second reading, key healthcare professionals' groups issued strong statements reiterating: we can do better for our patients.
Depression is normally a reversible condition, but campaigners regard suicidal tendencies in people with chronic or terminal illnesses not as symptomatic of depression but as a rational will to die
The RCGP maintains its strong opposition to any change in the law to allow 'assisted dying' following 'one of the most comprehensive consultations the College has ever undertaken'
