Writer and critic Theodore Dalrymple will share his opinions on the ethics and dilemmas behind the assisted dying debate in Cardiac Rehab’s annual fundraising lecture.

Cardiac Rehab founder Dr Hugh Bethell has invited Mr Dalrymple - a retired psychiatrist and prison physician, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the current medical editor of The Oldie - to give the talk in the Alton Maltings Centre on October 22 at 7pm.

He will explore huge moral questions surrounding end of life care, including the competing claims of individual choice, medical ethics and the attitudes of society, with a perspective shaped by his long career and real-world encounters with suffering and death.

Mr Dalrymple said: “One of the best-known arguments against both assisted dying and euthanasia is that they stand at the head of a slippery slope. No honest person, it seems to me, could possibly deny this.

“But we are all faced, all the time, with slippery slopes that we do not slide down. There is practically no policy that is not at the head of some such slope, so we all must make the choice of which of these slopes we wish to avoid.”

Cardiac Rehab chief executive Sarah Quarterman added: “As a local charity which supports the health of local people we rely on events like our annual lecture to raise awareness and vital funds to support our work.

“We are closely aligned with the NHS and receive referrals from local doctors and clinicians, but we are not funded by the NHS and so rely on fundraising to keep costs down for our exercisers.

“With the legislation that could potentially legalise the assisted dying of terminally ill patients currently being debated in the House of Lords, this is a very timely conversation about end of life care.

“Wherever you currently sit on the debate, I am sure that an evening in the company of such an informed and passionate speaker will lead you to consider in more depth the changes this legislation could bring.”

The lecture will be preceded by wine and canapés. For tickets, priced £28, visit www.cardiac-rehab.co.uk/events