Purdy amendment rejected

A proposed amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill that would have legalised accompanying a terminally ill person to a country where assisted suicide is lawful has been rejected in the House of Lords by a majority of 194 to 139. Opponents of the amendment claimed it was “ill-conceived” and failed to provide adequate safeguards. The amendment was proposed by former lord chancellor, Lord Falconer, and follows the high-profile case of multiple-sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy who wants to have an assisted suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.