Britain's Chief Rabbi warns over legalising assisted dying

The Chief Rabbi warned last night that MPs legalising assisted suicide could 'turn life into a commodity like any other'.

Ephraim Mirvis said he had 'deep concerns' about landmark legislation to be debated by MPs on Friday which would allow the terminally ill to end their own lives.

In an email to MPs last night, Sir Ephraim said he felt a 'moral obligation' to speak out about a proposal which would 'impose a new and immeasurable pressure upon terminal patients who are already extremely vulnerable'.

He said the gravity of the choice meant it 'simply cannot be protected against all manner of external influences, regardless of the proposed safeguards'.

The Chief Rabbi said evidence from Oregon, upon which the legislation is modelled, suggested that almost half of those choosing to end their lives 'cite the encumbrance upon their friends and family as one of their reasons'.

Warning of a 'slippery slope' he said that in Belgium and the Netherlands it 'did not take long for 'mental anguish' to become a legal and legitimate cause for assisted dying'.

He added: 'The 'medicalisation' of death, in which dying becomes just another treatment option... represents a major paradigm shift in the values that underpin our society. The purpose of medicine is and always has been to heal and ease pain - never to end life.

'It is surely not inconceivable that, in the course of time, financial and capacity constraints within the health system could become relevant considerations, thus turning life into a commodity like any other.'

It came as assisted dying adverts plastered around London Underground stations were covered up with anti-suicide messages from Samaritans following a backlash.

The adverts urging the public to support legalising the controversial practice appeared in some of the capital's busiest tube stations - Westminster - on Monday.

The posters declare 'legalise assisted dying' and bear the logo of Dignity in Dying - one of the largest campaign groups pushing for a change in the law.

One shows a woman jumping for joy in her kitchen next to the words: 'My dying wish is my family won't see me suffer.'

The ads sparked a backlash after experts pointed out that dozens of people attempt to take their lives on the London Underground each year.

And just hours after they had been put up the adverts were covered by posters from suicide prevention charity Samaritans that read: 'Whatever you're facing, we're here to listen. Call free day or night on 116 123.'

The chief Rabbi's intervention came as a former Lord Chief Justice warned that assisted suicide cases could clog up the courts for years.

The legislation will leave High Court judges to give the final sign off in cases where terminally ill people want to end their lives.

Former Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas yesterday warned that supporters of the plan had given too little thought to the impact on the courts, which are already suffering major backlogs.

Lord Thomas said High Court judges could not be expected to engage in a 'rubber stamping' exercise and would have to get involved in the details of each case.

The former head of the judiciary said it was clear that judges would be an 'integral part of the process' and warned that their role cannot be 'sorted out later'.

He added: 'The process and the impact on the court system is really something about which there should be information before we decide in principle to proceed.'

Sir Gerald Barling, a retired High Court judge, described the assisted dying legislation as 'arbitrary and defective' and warned it would be difficult for judges to decide whether 'there is this clear, settled and informed decision to end their own life' without seeing the patient.

The legislation, to be debated on Friday, is being brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. The Government has adopted a 'neutral' position, with MPs and ministers given a free vote.

Unlike normal government legislation there has been no formal assessment of the impact on either the NHS or the courts.

Sir Gerald told Times Radio that the process was likely to have a significant impact on court time, adding: 'There will almost certainly have to be a hearing. I don't see how without seeing the patient, the judge can decide that there is this clear, settled and informed decision to end their own life.'

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Assisted dying adverts on the Tube are covered with Samaritans suicide prevention posters

Meanwhile, a leading anti-suicide campaigner warned against the legislation, saying it would undermine efforts to prevent people from taking their own lives.

Sir Louis Appleby, who leads the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, said: 'Proponents of assisted dying point to the limited scope of the Bill: terminal illness. But once the principle behind suicide prevention has been set aside, once any part of the ground has been ceded - not only to allow suicide but to assist it - we have lost something we may not get back.

'There are countless causes of irremediable hardship, many reasons people may want to make despairing choices. Could they become exceptions to suicide prevention too?'