Coping with terminal illness is obviously deeply upsetting and difficult both for the patient and their families. Cases such as these are truly moving and evoke the highest degree of compassion and emotion. As the Member of Parliament for The North Cotswolds, I have been contacted by a number of families sharing their experiences on this matter and was very saddened to hear their stories.

I fully accept that suicide, assisting or encouraging suicide, assisted dying and euthanasia are all subjects on which it is entirely possible for people to hold widely different but deeply held opinions. This is why the substance of the law in this area is not a matter of party politics but of conscience, and any vote would be a free one should the law in this area ever be altered.

I accept that there are imperfections and problems with the current law. However, a change in the law on assisted dying is one of the most difficult conscience issues that any Member of Parliament must weigh up before casting their vote.

On the one hand there are tragic cases of patients suffering and the consequent heartbreak for close relatives; on the other hand there is enormous pressure on the medical profession, to decide when the thresholds, which would have to be included in any change of legislation, are met. This will place great burdens on those making those decisions. Equally, there is the whole issue of either those involved themselves or their relatives, to make decisions which may be premature.

All the time I have been a Member of Parliament I have listened very carefully to the arguments on both sides, and I have always come down on the side of the status quo and have voted against legislation on the ‘right to die’. This is because I think it is almost impossible to frame a bill with sufficient safeguards that will protect people with vulnerabilities and one which would make the remit of doctor's actions clear without ending up in court.

So, although I have still not decided how I will vote on this issue because I am yet to see the actual wording of the bill, I can assure you that the deeply felt cases of families who have written to me, and the strong views and arguments of varying opinions, which have been highlighted such as yours, will be uppermost in my mind when I make that decision.

I have to say, whilst I will examine this bill very carefully, and the safeguards it contains, I think it is unlikely that I will support it when it comes before Parliament.

However, allied to this issue is the problem of funding hospices which is currently quite patchy. Everyone deserves the best possible quality of life, right up to the time they die. I will be continuing to pursue this matter in Parliament.