Consultation opens on guidance in cases of assisted dying

摘要

Friends or relatives who help a loved one to commit suicide will not be prosecuted if the would be suicide has a clear and settled intention to die and the helper does not encourage the suicide but assists out of compassionate motives, say guidelines issued this week by the director of public prosecutions for England and Wales.The policy statement from Keir Starmer comes after a legal victory by Debbie Purdy, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis. The ruling, from the UK's highest court, required the director of public prosecution to clarify when loved ones would or would not face prosecution for aiding and abetting a suicide (BMJ 2009;339:b3131, 31 Jul).