The Director of Public Prosecutions formally issued and published guidelines, 25 February, to clarify when people who assist suicides are likely to be prosecuted.

Under the current law, assisting someone to commit suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison; however, very few prosecutions have taken place since the 1961 Suicide Act came into being.

The new guidelines are a response to a Law Lords decision at the end of July 09 to call for the DPP (Keir Starmer) to issue a policy statement to clarify when someone might be prosecuted by helping someone to end their life abroad. This came as a result of a legal battle by Debbie Purdy, an MS sufferer who was seeking clarification of the law in regards to her husband. In July 09 the House of Lords rejected a measure to make it legal to help a terminally ill person die.  

In September Keir Starmer announced an interim policy which was met with key criticisms by the Care not Killing Alliance, of which the Evangelical Alliance is a member.  Following the publication of the interim policy several significant amendments to the policy have taken place.

Assisting suicide will remain illegal in the UK and any person who gives such assistance, whatever the circumstances, will remain liable to prosecution and subject to an investigation.

An extract from the Care Not Killing statement by Lord Carlile said: "Our main concern was that the interim guidelines singled out as a group those who were disabled or ill, thereby affording them less protection than other people under the law. We are very glad this has been removed. In other respects as well, these guidelines are a real improvement. They stress that the law has not changed, that no-one has immunity from prosecution, and that a prosecution will normally follow unless there are clear and compelling public interest factors to the contrary."

Don Horrocks, Head of Public Affairs at the Evangelical Alliance and a member of the Care Not Killing steering group said: "The DPP had an almost impossible task and we are really pleased that he listened to our concerns. The guidelines, which merely clarify existing law and do not change it, are much better and more transparent than they were. They no longer afford special protection to spouses and family members in assisting suicide and they give protection to especially vulnerable people. The chances of undermining existing law are much reduced. Nevertheless, it will be a major challenge for the DPP to accurately judge compassionate motives".

Urging caution he said: "We have to continue to be careful because the very publication of these guidelines could send out the wrong signal in encouraging people to regard assisted suicide as a more viable option. Together with an unsatisfactory tick box approach it could lead to more people being killed."