Warning signs are there already over assisted dying Bill

Ten years ago, Parliament rejected a Bill on assisted dying. However, last month it was passed with a narrow majority.

- Angus Long

Many experts were surprised given that The Royal College of Psychiatrists said that it couldn’t support the legislation in its current form as it was concerned over “too many unanswered questions” about safeguarding people with mental illness.

It is also concerned over the shortage of qualified psychiatrists to take part in assisted dying panels, and concerned around capacity assessment, and whether or not assisted dying will be interpreted as a treatment because that would have a profound impact on the psychiatrist's decision-making process. This is worrying.

Of course a great number of people, from all walks of life, do support the idea of a ‘suicide bill’.

In many cases, often spurred by people who experienced, endured or witnessed a painful or agonisingly slow demise of a loved one, feeling it only right their suffering be ended peacefully and with dignity.

However, the concern of opponents is, despite the stated safeguards, it's feared over time that they will be watered down, bit by bit, until what was first proposed would no longer be practised. This happens with many things over time as emotional and compelling cases lead to small changes and a weakening of the original position.

A good example is capital punishment. The death penalty was abolished in 1965.

Those who were uneasy were assured that murderers would face a whole life sentence instead.

However, over the years, the safeguards have been watered down.