After months of heartfelt and passionate debate, a Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales cleared its first Parliamentary hurdle last Friday.

👉 Read our report here

Today one of readers expresses his deep sorrow, and his fears.

Alasdair HB Fyfe of Glasgow writes:

"It is with a profound sadness that I see our MPs passed the assisted dying bill. I believe this is an immense mistake, and am ashamed that our UK parliamentary process rushed this through, and only allowed four hours' debate on such a life-changing bill.

This decision is like the crossing of the Rubicon, for there will be no turning back. Human life is being devalued, and the weak, the vulnerable, the sick, and the disabled have every right to fear; for a door has been opened where they are exposed as never before by the choice to continue living, or to die.

Implicitly this question will be on every weak person's mind: 'I am obviously a burden to a society that is not willing to fund palliative care, so I should consider taking my life with help from a doctor. If I don't take this route, I am being selfish.' How awful.

And our relationship with the medical profession is to be altered, from the preserver of life to the agent of death. The possibility will lurk in the background, even if not explicitly voiced.

Then there's the slippery slope, which proponents have denied, but is 100% certain. The safeguards will either be loosened, or challenged, or liberally interpreted, just as with abortion. There are already groups of people pushing for broadening of the indications for inclusion towards assisted suicide, so intentional mission-creep is on its way.

So, I am so deeply sad. The Rubicon is crossed, and our politicians have the consequences of a diminished value to our lives on their shoulders."