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House of Lords debate assisted dying bill

Peers are debating former Labour Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer's assisted dying bill.

The Bill proposes allowing doctors to give a lethal dose to terminally ill patients judged to have less than six months to live.

A survey conducted for ITV's Tonight programme found 70% would support allowing assisted dying under the framework outlined by the Assisted Dying Bill.

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Vicar: Suffering cannot be 'edited' out of our world

The Church of England will have to continue wrestling with the topic of assisted suicide, the Speaker's chaplain to the House of Commons told ITV News, as the church is to hold a key meeting today. Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin said:

It is a controversial debate. But I don't think it puts the church in a difficult position [...] The church genuinely wants to ensure that those who are vulnerable in society are not left in an even more vulnerable position.

The reality is I believe that we cannot edit suffering out of our world when it comes to sickness or illness. So as a society we do need to find compassionate ways to be there with each other. So the church will have to continue to wrestle with this topic. It's not something that's going to go away.

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