Let’s face up to the fact that assisted death is really assisted suicide

It’s a testament to the resilience of the British stiff upper lip that, when I approached a number of senior journalists to discuss the question of assisted dying this week, their reticence spoke volumes. One was “reluctant” to enter the debate; another found it a subject they were “uncomfortable” to touch. Luckily, given the significance of the vote taking place in Commons tomorrow, I feel no such anxieties, but it’s no wonder that we shy away from the big questions of our existence  when the debate is so emotionally and linguistically rigged. Let’s be frank: we are talking about a form of suicide. (ironically, Thursday is World Suicide Prevention Day.)