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Referendum should be used to ask the people's views on assisted dying

I know there will be an immediate response from those who would choose to end their life because of suffering, but what percentage of the population is that? We should be pouring resources into making life as pain-free and comfortable as possible, not training people to administer death. READ MORE: Andrew Tickell: Assisted dying debate deserves better than bad-faith politics It will change perceptions of what is acceptable. It will divert funding from keeping people pain-free, allowing them to die with dignity without feeling they are a burden. Why spend money training people to kill? It has now occurred to me that this is such a massive question with such ramifications that it should have been the subject of a referendum in the way the public were asked to vote on Brexit. I believe the people should have a voice on this matter, not a few with vested interests, and cannot understand why this was not offered. In hindsight it appears to have been dumped on an unsuspecting public. It may be that within the charmed walls of political circles there has been discussion, but it certainly has not been a regular topic of discussion in community halls, hubs, cafes, leisure centres, clubs, anywhere in fact where people gather. Did your representative hold meetings about this proposal? Sadly that will probably begin to happen now – possibly too late. READ MORE: Kelly Given: This isn't mere policy dispute – it's life and death I would love an amendment asking for a referendum. Why should a group of politicians set us down this path without the consent of the people? They are allowed a vote of conscience. Big deal – making life-and-death decisions about other human beings without asking those very human beings. I hope with all my heart this falls, and while I feel for the small group of sufferers relative to the whole population who feel this is their only way out, we cannot set this into law for the majority, among whose ranks are the disabled, the elderly, the addicted, the suicidal, the depressed, the poor, the misdiagnosed, the homeless, the desperate, the solitary. Are we expendable because we are deemed a drain on resources clothed in kindness and mercy-speak? Do you feel duped? We see you. The people should have their say, not politicians, as unfortunately no-one trusts politicians these days. Isobel Delussey Address supplied ASSISTED dying is concerned with those facing a period of painful terminal illness, leading to death, so may wish to skip that journey and go directly to the main event. However, many people in that position will be wise enough to have made their own arrangements to leave, and do not require assistance. There are also disabled people who have found their painless but limited-activity lives to be unenjoyable, so will simply kill themselves, and some do that every year. So across the spectrum, many will have already dealt with their own situations, so no assistance needed. In Scotland at present, helping someone to die is known as murder – and should remain so, as legalising it will open a route to be used by those wishing to be rid of someone for their own selfish benefit. Malcolm Parkin Kinross