What a difficult decision to make.

, thank you Agus, thought I made a blooper!

If only End of Life Care was truly as intended.......... Things are slowly improving but for those making the ultimate decision there is no support here

Yes, it works fine in Switzerland but we live in a country that allowed the situation in Stafford Hospital to go on for years; applied the Liverpool Care Pathway inappropriately; and faces years of government-imposed 'austerity'.

This latest case, and the chap in the Terry Pratchett documentary, really does test my resolve as I think it's tragic that these men felt they had to die early whilst they had some control, and not wait until they were totally incapacitated and be doomed to a terrible existence.

But just as I'm against capital punishment, even though murderers commit the most awful crimes, I have to stick to what I think is for the greater good and not support state-assisted dying.

Loopylou . I wasn't blaming you at all for the title just angry at whoever did come up with that one, I think, could have thought up something that would explain the Bill more clearly

Should have explained my post more

Alarmist, as you say, soontobe.

What the article is actually saying is that the number of assisted suicides has increased in recent years in countries where it's been legalised. Which is only to be expected, bearing in mind that the overall number of deaths will have increased anyway because of larger populations.

Oops!

BBC website calls it the Suicide Bill....

Many apologies

Dignified Death Bill would be much more suitable than Suicide Bill!

How do we know it works fine in Switzerland?

I found this link, but I think it is a bit alarmist.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430479/One-thirty-deaths-Holland-euthanasia-choosing-end-lives-cancer.html

Just where is the humanity in an intelligent person having to choose to end their life in a business park in Switzerland, and on their own at the end? Compare this to being able to choose to die in your own bed, in your own home with your family with you....the terrible choice this man had to make, to die too soon in order to be able to do this is shameful, he had much more life to live but was unable to take the risk of being unable to die by his own hand, so so sad.

If the time ever comes when I decide I want to die with dignity and being of sound mind, I think it's insulting that I would be left to suffer unnecessarily and linger on merely existing as opposed to allowing me to do what is best for me.

I have chosen the time when my animals had suffered long enough and made the decision to allow them to 'go to sleep' in my arms. Pretty galling that humans are not afforded the same dignity.

On the BBC news apparently Lord Falconer is going to try to reintroduce his amendment to the 1981 Suicide Bill (I think that's what was said, I only caught a bit of it), so perhaps there will be changes.

I agree Ana
I can't imagine the numbers would be enormous and so long as there was a comprehensive independent assessment of the person involved then we should have our own.

It seems to work fine in Switzerland, so why should it be any different in this country? Is the UK so full of greedy or uncaring relatives that the authorities fear they'd be unable to cope with the demand...?

I'm sorry, but the 'slippery slope' argument is one that's always trotted out whenever the subject of assisted dying is discussed.

If that were the case GrannyTwice it might be so I guess, but possibly not by going through Dignitas, which I thought was for those who were terminally ill? Or am I wrong?

I imagine Dignitas has a very comprehensive process, really exploring the person's thinking before accepting them for their service.

In this country loved ones have faced prosecution for helping someone to die, a very difficult decision I think for anyone.

If an individual decides to end their life as in jingl's post, that is yet another tragic situation.

Many very complex and difficult scenarios.....

Sometimes they are the most stubborn sort. They may feel like it, but wouldnt do it out of spite if nothing else.

I am with jingl. But I think this subject has been discussed before, so I am not going to post much, I dont think.

I'm not wanting to be flippant but if you did have an unkind, unloving family who made you feel a burden, who didn't treat with you love and care, then I can imagine you would perhaps want to be able to choose to die.

Well, if they're unloved and cantankerous they're not likely to be 'persuaded' to end their lives by greedy relatives.

I don't know loopylou. It's an argument often put forward by the anti euthanasia people. I would imagine not all old or very ill people are kindly, well loved, individuals.

The report on Radio 4 today was tastefully and respectfully done I thought, and a a neighbour of the man was interviewed and said what a lovely friendly and chatty man he was, which somehow made it more awful, more personal, more a feeling of the man himself, not just an ill man.. This was a Father, husband, son, friend, colleague who had to die too soon in order to be able to control his own death, sad in every way for his family and friends and for those thousands of people in the same situation.

Is there any evidence that that is happening jingl?

I certainly think that when the only option is traveling to Switzerland then the person involved will have carefully thought it through and most cases I've read about have been supported by their family and none have been coerced.

Were the option to be available here then, as GrannyTwice says the worry about being or not being well enough to travel would be alleviated.

If it's not an option on grounds of cost or being too ill then it must be dreadful for the individual.

Very brave people to do this.

I mean by their relatives. To whom they may have become a burden.

What about the argument that some very ill or very old people could feel "encouraged" to visit such places?

Agreed 100%

Another point is that if they could do it here they might be able to live for longer as they wouldn't have to worry about being able to travel. I heard Charlie Faulkener on World at One - I agree with every word he said and I thought the medic just didn't 'get it' Are those if you in favour, members of Dignity in Dying?

Yes, another post in agreement with the comments above, that it is a great pity this brave man and his loving family had to travel abroad in order to support his final wishes.

It is a disgrace that people cannot choose safe and dignified assisted death in the UK.