A motion supporting assisted dying in Wales is set to be debated in the Senedd.

A cross-party motion submitted by Labour’s Julie Morgan calls for those who are “intolerably suffering” from an incurable physical condition and have a clear wish to die to be able to be assisted, subject to “robust safeguards”.

However, the Senedd cannot change the law itself, with ultimate power resting in Westminster.

The motion which is being brought forward on Wednesday offers support in principle and will see the Senedd help Westminster implement “compassionate assisted dying” laws should it become legalised.

A Bill that would give terminally ill people the right to end their lives was introduced to the UK Parliament earlier this month.

Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the debate, Ms Morgan, the MS for Cardiff North, said: “The law as it stands is very inhumane, I think it doesn’t work.

“I believe we should have a much more humane law which takes into account people’s circumstances and the suffering that they may be experiencing.

“It’s very important that we discuss it here in the Senedd today because although the Private Member’s Bill is going forwards in Westminster, if it were passed the implication would be very important in Wales because we have responsibility for health and social care.”

Ms Morgan said it was important to have the safeguards in place to ensure that people meet specific criteria, with medical people present when the decision is made.

Two opposing groups held protests outside the Senedd ahead of the motion being debated.

Christian Concern set up tombstones on the steps of the Welsh parliament bearing statistics from other countries where euthanasia has been legalised.

They were greeted by chanting from My Death, My Decision, who called for their right to choose when to die.

Carys Moseley, a public policy researcher and analyst for Christian Concern based in Cardiff, said the group was “concerned” about the motion.

She said: “We’ve got a visual display of the actual cases that have been happening in different jurisdictions in the western world.

“These are tragic cases – diabetes being treated as a long-term illness in Oregon, assisted suicide the fifth leading cause of death in Canada – these are very grave issues.”

Ms Moseley argued that the public becomes more questioning of the issue the more they hear about other countries.

“Once you introduce this choice – dying – there is a pressure then which eventually becomes a duty to die,” she said.

She added: “There isn’t such a thing as (going on) ‘your own terms’, because it affects all the doctors that become responsible for killing patients or assisted killing rather than preserving life.

“It’s not about the individual, it’s about healthcare in general and the policy for everybody.”

Gemma Williams, a member of My Death, My Decision, wanted to be able to choose for herself when “enough is enough”.

The 46-year-old, from Carmarthenshire, who has multiple sclerosis – a chronic autoimmune disease – said: “The turning point for me was my grandmother.

“She was 99, she was bed-bound, and it was just awful, and she used to cry and beg for it to end, and she said that ‘there’s no dignity in this, when will it be over?’

“And that’s when I thought: Yeah, we should have the choice.”

Ms Williams said her MS was currently “remitting”, but there would come a time when she will not have any period of remission.

She added: “It shouldn’t be limited to the terminally ill, it should be for those suffering intolerably.

“For myself and others with chronic illness, so we can say we’ve got no quality of life any more, we’re in too much pain, and we’d like to end it now rather than being forced to live in agony.

“I’m not saying everybody must go and have an assisted death, I’m saying we should have the right to choose for ourselves.”

Ms Williams said she has not seen evidence the system is being abused elsewhere, and felt that friends who have been through assisted dying in Holland and elsewhere had much “kinder” deaths.

Karen Harries, also a member of My Death, echoed Ms Williams’ calls.

Ms Harries, 60, from Carmarthenshire, has fibromyalgia, which she said left her bed-bound for long periods.

She said: “I’m not imposing my choice on them (Christian Concern), but they, by their actions, are not allowing me to have that choice.

“I think it would be good if we could actually sit down and talk because this will come, if not this year, it will come, and it’s better that we understand what their concerns are, what they’re worried about, so we can make sure the safeguards are in place.”