I thought the vote on assisted dying was to be according to MPs’ consciences and that the government wasn’t taking a side. How is it, then, that Wes Streeting is making his views prominent and using his position as health secretary to suggest the NHS will be adversely affected by a vote in favour (Legalisation of assisted dying may force NHS cuts, Wes Streeting warns, 13 November)? I don’t believe that is true, and in any case it is irrelevant. People should have a choice at the end of their lives, even if there is a cost to the NHS. To deny that is simply cruel. Maybe he should talk to a wider range of dying and elderly people to discover their reality.
Anne Heaton
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire
• As one who never wants palliative care, no matter how wonderfully administered it may be, I really take issue with Wes Streeting’s suggestion that assisted dying would be too expensive and would require cuts to other services – which is what his pronouncement boils down to. Surely it would cost the NHS a lot more to keep me alive (against my wishes) than to give me that single dose to end my life when I choose?
Elspeth Christie
Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
• Wes Streeting can’t have it both ways: civil servants looking at the extra costs that legalised assisted dying would put on the NHS, and potential cost savings if people choose to opt for assisted dying.
Emma Tait
London
