A CHURCH reverend has spoken out against assisted dying amid a public conversation on the controversial issue. 

The debate about assisted dying has been re-ignited following Dame Esther Rantzen’s announcement that she has joined Dignitas.

Dame Esther revealed in May that she now has stage four lung cancer and has called for a free vote in parliament on assisted dying, saying it is 'important that the law catches up with what the country wants.' 

The Campaign for Dignity in Dying is seeking a change in the law: to allow a dying person the choice to control their death if they decide their suffering is unbearable.

According to The Campaign for Dignity in Dying, 84 per cent of the public now support the choice of assisted dying for terminally ill adults. 

"All we ask for is the choice," said Dame Esther. “That’s all we’re asking for. We don’t want to impose our views on you, but we do want the choice ourselves.”

Rev Simon Bickersteth of St James Church, Denton Holme, has shared his opposition.

He said: "Although I can understand and sympathise with those who are calling for assisted dying to be made legal, I am personally strongly opposed to any changes in the law for a number of reasons.

"It fundamentally changes the role of doctors. In the Hippocratic oath, doctors pledge to do their best to serve humanity, care for the sick, promote good health, and alleviate pain and suffering.

"The deliberate ending of life (which is what assisted dying and euthanasia are), goes against the Hippocratic oath and changes the role that doctors perform because they would be the ones who would be involved in the ending of life."

Dame Esther told BBC’s The Today Podcast that she had joined an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland and said she would consider the option if her lung cancer treatment does not improve her condition.

Her daughter, TV presenter Rebecca Wilcox, said she found it “surprising” when her mother revealed she had joined the clinic.

Rev Bickersteth added: "Rather than focusing on introducing euthanasia or assisted suicide, the focus should be on promoting more and better palliative care.

"The word euthanasia is a Greek word that means 'Good Death', but it never meant the deliberate ending of someone’s life but dying well.

"This, I believe should be our focus, enabling people to die with dignity, free from pain and discomfort.

"This is one of the reasons why the hospice movement is so important, not only in enabling people to die with dignity and supporting their families through the grieving process but also in helping people to live as fully as possible until the time of death."

Currently, assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

In 2015 a Bill to legalise assisted dying in the UK was defeated.