Medical ethicist: Assisted suicide a moral issue

The man who was spared jail yesterday for helping his seriously ill wife to die was facing a genuine moral dilemma, a medical ethicist has argued.

Dr Daniel Sokol told politics.co.uk that assisted suicide was not "intrinsically morally wrong", but added: "That does not necessarily mean it should be made legal."

The main issue arising from the case was whether it should trigger a reconsideration of assisted dying laws, and highlighted a tension between the law and morality, he said.

Mr Sokol, who is an ethics lecturer at Keele University, concluded: "From a lawyer's perspective, David March violated the law. From an ethical perspective, the situation is more complex.

"David March was faced with a terrible moral dilemma – should he respect his beloved wife's wish to die and break the law or go against her wish and respect the law.

"The moral thing to do is not always legal. Even judges recognise this truth."