The BMJ is right to report the findings of the Commission on Assisted Dying. The Report is the outcome of comprehensive fact-gathering, drawing on a huge body of knowledge and experience both nationally and internationally, and meticulous arguments over matters of principle, human rights and the law. Those who are disappointed with the Commission’s findings should not expect the BMJ to ignore this crucial contribution to the debate.

I hope that the Commission’s conclusion prompt the British Medical Association and other bodies such as the Royal College of Physicians to re-consider their opposition to assisted dying which is cruel and illegitimate: cruel because it abandons some terminally ill people to suffering, and illegitimate because it gives doctors undue influence over an issue that must be decided by society as a whole.

I recognise and respect the fact that some healthcare professionals, such as Baroness Hollins, will want nothing to do with the assisted dying process. This is entirely understandable and does not pose a problem. Any assisted dying legislation would contain a strong conscience clause, as Lord Falconer’s Commission recommends. This will enable Baroness Hollins and other opponents of assisted dying to live by their beliefs and those of a different opinion to live by theirs.

Competing interests: None declared