THE assisted suicide of a chronically-ill British woman abroad has ignited calls for the practice to be made legal in Britain.
Police in Zurich yesterday confirmed the 66-year-old woman, who was identified only as Mrs Z, died in a Swiss clinic last Wednesday.
Her death was reported to the police by Dignitas, a non-profit organisation which helps terminally-ill people com
mit suicide legally.
Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (VES), argued that Mrs Z should have been able to see her dying wishes fulfilled within this country.
"The police and the CPS did not take any action to stop this, which shows that the Suicide Act is now unenforceable. We need a law that works and which is compassionate. The need for it is urgent."
She added: "We wish to extend our heartfelt sympathies to Mr Z on his sad loss. The law has imposed this tragic journey upon him as it has upon others and it is to Britain’s shame that more will follow."
Scotland on Sunday revealed last year that terminally-ill Britons were using the clinic.
Mrs Z went to Switzerland as soon as a ban, which prevented her husband of 45 years from helping her travel out of the country, was lifted by the High Court last Tuesday.
Family Division judge Mr Justice Hedley left the decision on what action to take under criminal law to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The case was brought by the local authority which cared for Mrs Z in her home after it learned she was planning to travel abroad.
The mother-of-three, who lived in the north-west of England, suffered from cerebellar ataxia, an incurable degenerative brain disease.
A court order has banned the identification of any of the parties, including the local authority and local police force.
Swiss police have launched a routine investigation into Mrs Z’s death. In Switzerland, euthanasia is legal if it is self-administered. In Britain, it is a criminal offence to help someone commit suicide, punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
Dignitas has assisted with the suicides of dozens of Britons since it was set up in 1998.
Run by Ludwig Minelli, it offers "dying preparation, dying company and free death assistance". That involves the patient administering a lethal combination of drugs to themselves, with family, medical staff and lawyers present.
Win Crew, 72, whose husband Reg travelled to the same Swiss clinic last year to end his life, said Mrs Z would have died in a good environment.
She said: "They are wonderful people at the centre. They were very caring and very helpful and made Reg’s end dignified. I hope this will open people’s eyes that something has to be done."
Crew was questioned by Merseyside Police on her return from Switzerland but no charges were brought.
Both the VES and Crew are behind the Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill, which has been put forward by peer Lord Joffe.
It would make it legal for terminally ill people to ask for medical help to kill themselves, as long as all other alternatives had been considered.
The bill is being examined by a committee of peers who are due to report back next year.
However, the ProLife Alliance says it remains opposed to assisted suicide. Spokesman Patrick Leahy said: "We look forward to the time when the UK offers palliative care to everyone to remove any desire for people to end their lives in this tragic way."
The full article contains 630 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
