Euthanasia is at the centre of debate again in the wake of the Gillian Jennison case.

Her non-custodial sentence is welcomed by the Voluntary Euthanasia Society whose spokesman is calling for a wider discussion on the issue.

John Oliver, the society's general secretary, told the Keighley News: "Ms Jennison is a compassionate, caring daughter whose only crime was to help her mother carry out her wishes. We welcome the leniency of the judge in this sentencing. Howe-ver, this tragic case only serves to highlight the need for a change in the law to allow a competent, terminally ill adult to receive medical help to die at their own considered request."

His comments are echoed by Keighley man Allan Bland, whose son Tony spent four years in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) following the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989. Tony died five years ago after a long battle by his parents for the legal right to have his feeding tubes removed.

Allan said this week: "I feel for the daughter and her family. They have my sympathy. This is a very private matter for them and I could not comment on their own circumstances, but it is a sad case. Every situation is very different. Tony's condition was acknowledged to be a clear-cut and particularly severe case of PVS.

"We had a lot of calls from people in a similar position to us seeking help and guidance, from relatives of loved ones in comas who did not know how to cope. The law certainly needs looking at."

Keighley MP Ann Cryer is against euthanasia, but she says doctors should be allowed to administer pain-relief drugs which may - as a side result - bring death forward.

She says: "It is a very grey area. Euthanasia gives too much power and I do not support that."

Commenting on the result of this case, she told us: "I think it is a reasonable outcome to a very unhappy part of her (Jennison's) life. I feel very sorry for her. I understand everything she went through.

"Although this I feel is the right outcome in the circumstances, you can't just allow people to do this sort of thing carte blanch. That would be wrong."

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