Politicians must not rush into a decision on assisted dying

Questions continue to mount over Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill, which if passed would see the introduction of assisted dying in Britain.

A new report from the think tank Policy Exchange highlights that experience overseas should give us pause for thought before rushing ahead. As the report sets out, events in Canada provide "a revealing and ongoing illustration of the slippery slope" inherent in such proposals, and the tendency for the scope of the legislation to expand with time and interpretation.

As former chief coroner of England and Wales Thomas Teague KC wrote in endorsement, many of the promised safeguards amount to "nothing more than arbitrary restrictions" which would be subject to a "logically inexorable" erosion over time. Baroness Grey-Thompson, meanwhile, notes that the proposed legislation would "fundamentally alter the political and societal landscape for disabled people".

These concerns are far from merely academic, and experts whose peers would be intimately involved in the process are now stepping forward to express their deeply held misgivings about the proposals.

Sir James Munby, former head of the High Court's family division, has warned that the plan to have the court's judges rule on whether an assisted death can go ahead is fundamentally misguided, saying that it is "not what judges do and not what judges are for", and noting that the Bill "falls lamentably short of providing adequate safeguards".

Doctors, too, have expressed concern at being "compelled" to participate in the killing of patients , that the use of syringe drivers as a potential delivery system could undermine confidence in palliative care and cause patients to refuse adequate medication, and indeed over the complicated and unpleasant nature of the process.

It is small wonder, then, that many MPs appear to lack confidence that this legislation is fit for purpose, and it is notable that Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among them . He has expressed fears that patients could feel pressured into opting for assisted dying to avoid piling costs on relatives or the NHS, and stated his intention to vote against the Bill as a result.

When the time comes to debate the Bill, MPs should be wary of rushing into a decision they may regret.