Doctor: Assisted Suicide Law Must Change

A Doctor is calling for assisted suicide to be allowed after he revealed how he helped an elderly couple end their lives.

Retired GP Dr Iain Kerr, who worked in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, said he prescibed them with sleeping pills so they could kill themselves together.

The 66 year-old belives his actions were in the best interests of the patients.

He said: ``They had medical conditions which they felt impaired the quality of life to such an extent that they felt they did not want to go on together.

``They asked for something that they could take in an overdose which would lead to their suicide.

``I said that I wanted them to tell their daughter what was going on and if she had no strenuous objections, then I would give them the prescription, which in fact I did.''

He told The Herald paper: ``I think there should be a change in the law because my personal experience is that there are people suffering distressing symptoms at the end of life which cannot all be palliated, and while people should be offered all the available treatments, there may be times when their preferred course of action will be suicide or to be assisted to die.''