title: Assisted suicide and the law.
abstract: The subject of assisted suicide has been high on the news agenda over the summer. In July the RCN's ruling council voted to adopt a neutral stance on assisted suicide ( page 7 ). This means that it will neither oppose nor support a change in the law. Under the Suicide Act 1961 assisting a suicide is a crime punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment in England and Wales, although to date no one has been prosecuted. Later in July Debbie Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis, won a landmark case in the House of Lords. The Law Lords ruled that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must set out in writing the circumstances under which a person may be prosecuted for accompanying a loved one to commit suicide abroad.