Conservative MP Mark Pritchard has waded into the debate on assisted dying by warning that Parliament would become a battleground if the Coalition Government decides to review the law.
The debate was reopened last month after the tragic case of Tony Nicklinson, who passed away shortly after learning that he had failed in his legal battle to have the defense of necessity extended to protect any physician who would help him realise his wish to die.
Following the Coalition Government reshuffle, new Conservative Health Minister Anna Soubry and her Liberal Democrat colleague Norman Lamb suggested that there was a good case for legislation to be reviewed.
Speaking this weekend to The Times, Soubry said that the rules on assisted dying needed more honesty.
She said: "The rules we have about who we don't prosecute allow things to happen but there's a good argument that we should be a bit more honest about it."
However, there is considerable opposition to any proposed legal changes, including from within the medical profession itself.
Baroness Hollins is the President of the BMA.
"To change the law would be to change the boundary between life and death altogether. That's a journey I just don't want us to even start out on in this country," she told Sky News.
Mr Pritchard responded to suggestions that the law could be changed by firmly stating that any legal change must be driven by Parliament and not individual MPs.
"Any new right-to-die legislation will be rigorously fought by MPs from across the House," he said.
"This is a slippery slope, which incrementally and over time, will reduce the 'right to life'," he added.
Source:
Mark Pritchard MP warns of right-to-die law change 'row' (BBC News)
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