IN A Spectator article headed ‘Assisted dying is inevitable’, Matthew Parris says he is one of those ‘who believe that the terminally ill for whom life has become unbearable should have the right to command its end’, although ‘naturally’ this campaign faces strong opposition. ‘Much of it comes from religious people who often hide their personal investment in their faith and attach themselves instead to secular and medical claims, aware that “God” does not, these days, clinch a public debate.’

Parris lists what he says are the standard objections to the scheme, brought forward by these devious religious critics, including the danger that ‘once our national culture openly condones such an act, the terminally ill may put pressure on themselves to do the deed’. He agrees that ‘moral pressure . . . may be felt even if it is not being applied by others’, although he does ‘sweep aside with impatience the argument that greedy relatives will trick the infirm into thinking it’s all over; that carers will insinuate thoughts of suicide into the minds of confused elderly patients. Very few are so horrid.’ Clearly, he never reads the newspapers.

However, ‘as to adding pressure upon the terminally ill to lift the burden they’re placing on others . . . well, let me bite the bullet. In time, I think that the spread and acceptance of assisted dying may indeed do that. And let me bite deeper into the bullet. I think this would be a good thing.’