The ongoing tension between assisted dying and protecting the most vulnerable has been tightened by poverty
By Isabella McRae Big Issue Social Justice Reporter
Gareth Ward’s voice breaks as he remembers his dad Norman, who took his own life after a 15-year battle with terminal cancer. He ended his pain, but it plunged the family into trauma they are still coping with years later. Gareth is now a passionate campaigner for assisted dying.
Assisted dying is illegal in the UK but the law often turns a blind eye to people going to Dignitas in Switzerland. Accompanying loved ones risk prosecution, with a maximum sentence of 14 years, but the majority of cases do not lead to charges.
Recent polling shows that two-thirds of British people back a change in the law. Labour leader Keir Starmer has expressed his support. Assisted dying bills in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Scotland are set to move forward this election year. But fears remain that without rigorous safeguards in place, legalising assisted dying could put vulnerable people at risk.
One disability campaigner told Big Issue she fears people could be “lining up in their droves” – as failures of the welfare state, social care system and healthcare service can make life unliveable.
A major obstacle for people who want to die at Dignitas is the cost, averaging around £10,000. “We’re not rich and we couldn’t afford it anyway,” Gareth says. “But if assisted dying was an option in this country, I guarantee he would have taken it. He wanted to carry on for as long as he could, and then he just wanted to end it.”
Norman was 75 when he decided to die. He called his children to tell them what he was about to do. Gareth’s sister rushed to the house, but it was too late. She is still struggling with PTSD.
“I do not believe in blanket euthanasia,” Gareth says. “I think it’s unsafe. I think people should be protected. But you wouldn’t have to be a doctor to look at my dad and realise that he was going to die very soon. I would like a safe and controlled mechanism for people who are terminally ill and can speak for themselves and aren’t being pressured.
“I wouldn’t want a system that could be abused. But for people like my dad, who are very obviously in huge amounts of pain at the end of their life, I would like recognition that says that they shouldn’t have to suffer any more and they could have autonomy over their own lives.”
Sarah Wootton, c
