Lord Joffe: Assisted dying is a case of personal autonomy

Lord Joffe said the principle of "personal autonomy" underpins his bill on assisted dying for the terminally ill.

Presenting the proposals to the Lords this morning, he said his recommendations simply gave people another option.

Currently, desperate patients are either forced to go abroad for end-of-life medication or are at risk of committing suicide early, through fear that later they will be unable to, he said.

Lord Joffe insisted that worries the bill would damage trust in doctors were unfounded, given its high public support.

In Oregon, with eight years of similar legislation, there was "no credible evidence" of abuse of the law and palliative care had "flourished" since its implementation, he added.

Against fears this is a "slippery slope", he pointed out the bill was "more tightly drawn and restrictive in its coverage" than its predecessors, arguing it is more a case of "climbing up the slope" than slipping down.