The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Starmer, today issued new guidelines for assisted suicide. The decision means that the motivation of the person, who helps a loved one to die, will be concentrated on, rather than the characteristics of the victim.

In clear terms it means that a person is unlikely to be prosecuted if concern is the “driving force” behind it, even if that person may benefit from the death. Mr Starmer said, “What it does do [the policy] is to provide a clear framework for prosecutors to decide which cases should proceed to court and which should not”.

Debbie Purdy, a “right to die” campaigner who suffers from multiple sclerosis, greeted the new guidelines positively and said they had “given me my life back”. She has struggled for a long time to discover if her husband would be prosecuted if at some point he helped her to end her life. She also added that it was important to know that the difference between malicious encouragement and compassionate support would be the focus.

Sir Terry Pratchett has battled for the existence of ‘tribunals’ to investigate cases where the gravely ill want to end their lives and Debbie Purdy backs his stance. For more on this story go to Telegraph.co.uk. Do you agree that the new guidelines will help seriously ill people and their families, or do you believe all life is sacred?