Over a thousand doctors have come out strongly against the assisted suicide bill being considered for England and Wales.
The doctors warn in a letter to MPs that Kim Leadbeater's bill is "deeply flawed" and a "real threat to both patients and the medical workforce", Sky News reports.
The warning comes ahead of the third reading of The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in Westminster on Friday.
The bill, which passed its first reading with a majority of 55 in November, would legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill adults in England and Wales who have been given six months or less to live.
The letter raises "serious concerns" about the proposals, not least the accuracy of prognoses about life expectancy by doctors.
It claims that Parliament has failed to give enough consideration to the views of doctors and vulnerable groups who stand to be affected by the bill, including people with disabilities.
"This bill will widen inequalities, it provides inadequate safeguards and, in our collective view, is simply not safe," the doctors said.
Signatories include geneticist Sir John Burn and Baroness Finlay, who is a qualified doctor and a consultant in palliative medicine.
They argue that the bill "is not the answer" to questions around the state of end of life care in the UK.
It is warned that poor people especially are likely to feel pressured to choose assisted suicide for reasons other than their health.
The doctors also argue that it would be difficult for medical professionals to identify coercion.
"Vulnerable patients are at risk of coercion with women, victims of domestic abuse, and the elderly at particular risk," the letter says.
It adds, "People who struggle to pay for heating or care or wish to preserve their assets for their children are at high risk of choosing to die if the option is available and the alternative is more difficult."
