LONDON (AP) — An independent panel of experts in the U.K. says there is a strong case for changing the law to help terminally ill people die.

In a report Thursday, the Commission for Assisted Dying described the legal status of assisted suicide in Britain as "inadequate and incoherent." It is illegal to help a terminally ill person commit suicide, but prosecutions are rare.

The Commission said it would be possible to legally allow assisted suicide for terminally ill people under strict criteria. However, the group is supported by Dignity in Dying and other advocates who favor changing the law.

Critics say the commission was biased, and the British Medical Association refused to participate in the report. A anti-abortion group labeled the report "a renewed attack" on disabled and elderly people.