14% rise in British members of Dignitas MPs will debate the issue for the first time in more than a decade in March, while on Monday the High Court is due to rule on whether or not a man with "locked-in syndrome," Tony Nicklinson, can be given a lethal lose of drugs by his wife without her facing murder charges. Dignitas itself is controversial even among supporters of the right to die. Some say it is unfair that only the wealthy and those with carers can afford to travel to Zurich, where volunteers supply them with the barbiturates that will end their lives, while others have criticised the way it operates. Anyone of "legal age" and with "full capacity of discernment" can sign up as a member of the not-for-profit organisation for a joining fee of £138 (200 Swiss Francs) and an annual subscription of £55. If they then get a doctor to provide evidence that they are terminally ill, and pay up to £7,875, they will be given everything they need for an "accompanied suicide." Campaigners say the recent increase in British Dignitas members suggests that many people fear reaching a stage where they want to end their lives but are unable to do so without support. Michael Irwin, a former doctor who has accompanied several British people to Switzerland and is himself a member of Dignitas, told The Daily Telegraph: "Because the law will not change in the UK for at least another three or four years, more and more people living here will keep on joining Dignitas - it is an "insurance policy" for those who can afford to make the trip to Switzerland. "And, for them, it is a "good thing" as it gives them "choice" - although, as you know, from my own experience with having accompanied four people to Switzerland, I am sure that all those who join Dignitas would much prefer to have the possibility of a doctor-assisted suicide here, in their own homes." He added that the programme presented by Sir Terry Pratchett broadcast by the BBC last year, which showed the last moments of a millionaire hotelier with motor neurone disease who died with the help of Dignitas, "certainly seemed to impress many people in the UK." Mr Irwin also pointed out that more people may feel emboldened to consider assisted suicide abroad now that their relatives are less likely to be prosecuted upon return home. Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying said: "Contrary to the claims of opponents to a change in the law, the Director of Public Prosecution guidelines have not opened the floodgates and we have not seen an increase in assisted deaths abroad. Yet the lack of choice in this country does mean that more Britons are joining Dignitas, perhaps as a safety net. If the choice of assisted dying were available in the UK, people would have that comfort of knowing that they could choose an assisted death should they end up suffering unbearably at the end of their lives. These figures reflect the evidence from jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal - the numbers of people who would choose an assisted death are small, but the numbers of people who would gain comfort from such a law change are huge. Ultimately, there must be an end to this unfair and unsafe outsourcing of a British problem to Switzerland. Last year 22 people were forced to travel abroad to achieve the death they wanted, and as far as I am concerned that is 22 too many.