'I just want control and choice,' says patient

Nadine and Rob Thomas are calling on MPs to support the assisted dying bill

A woman who is supportive of the assisted dying bill said she expected to suffer "as long as it takes me to die".

Nadine Thomas, from Dursley, Gloucestershire, is dying of cancer and wishes to have "control" over the end of her life.

"If I was the family pet we'd be saying - it's cruel, it's inhumane - it's time to put them down," she said.

But other people have expressed concerns over the bill, including the Bishop of Bath and Wells Michael Beasley, who told the BBC it did not offer enough safeguards.

MPs will debate and vote on the proposed law on Friday. They have been given a free vote, meaning they can follow their conscience rather than party orders.

Mrs Thomas explained it was not dying that scared her but the way it happened.

"I could have, like many cancer suffers, a very, very long drawn out, painful, undignified death.

"I could be lying in horrendous agony with total lose of bodily function and organs, just in bed having my nappy changed every day and taking as much medication as they can give me for the pain.

"It's not the talking about the cancer that upsets me, it's that very small part, the very end that upsets me.

"I don't want to go through the worst bit of my life in the worst way, and I don't want my family to have that either."

'Millions affected'

Her husband Rob Thomas said the debate had become "a little weird" as the vote approached.

He believed with most of the public in favour of the bill and MPs, who represent constituents, given a free vote "there's no doubt it would go through".

"I'm a little concerned in the debate that's gone off track in the last couple of weeks," he added.

"If it doesn't get through this time, thousands of people will die painful, undignified deaths that don't need to and millions of people will be affected."

Michael Beasley, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, is firmly against the assisted dying bill

'Most deaths dignified'

Bishop Michael said he was "against" the assisted dying bill as people may be "asked or pressurised to take their own life".

"The concern I have is that to meet that deficit we could end up introducing a system that all too readily could be subverted by people not of good intent," he said.

"To see folk coerced or pressurised into taking their own life.

"Surely that's something that none of us would ever ever ever want."

Lucy Pollock, an author and geriatrician from Somerset, agreed with the bishop.

"I find it hard to support this bill," she said. "I think there will be a point in the future where we will need a bill that looks like this but we've got a lot of work to do before we get to that stage.

"If we change the law we're changing the law for everybody and my worry about that is, particularly for older people with frailty, that changes the contract between doctor and patient.

"What's more it changes the contract between our society and older people," she added.

"Even now, most people who are coming towards the end of their life are going to have deaths that are actually very peaceful, are pain free and are dignified.

"I think it's really important we don't let this debate get frightening."