Esther Rantzen "too frail" to travel to Switzerland (Dignitas)

[ItWasnaMeGuv]

Hopefully a family member of friend will take her and she can get her wish.

Under the law which is before Parliament, Esther Rantzen would not have been eligible for assisted suicide/dying. The diagnosis Esther Rantzen received was three years ago.

Anybody who takes her there will be facing potential criminal charges when they return to the UK, as assisting in assisted suicide is legal here.

She's been so vocal about it for years, I wonder why she's waited this long? NOT that I'm wishing her dead, poor woman. But it's a shame.

No family member or friend can make her well enough to travel there.

She said her life wasn't limited enough that she was ready to go but now she is she's not well enough. I would have thought she would have thought this detail through.

Because when she was well enough to travel she was still well enough to enjoy life.

I hope she and her family are supported with good palliative care.

Of course she thought it through - but that’s the tragedy of it. Because those of us in the UK have to factor in travel we would have to end our lives earlier than if assisted dying was available here.

Eh? Are you missing a word from your post? It doesn’t make sense.

So she must have known that and understood that she would therefore be too unwell to travel.

Clearly a typo and should say "illegal"

She been advocating for people to be able to make the choice. Now she wants to be able to make the choice herself. It's entirely consistent.

it’s just very sad that by the time that health says the time is right for Dignitas, that health also prevents the person from travelling to Dignitas

This.

I don’t think people understand that it’s almost impossible to travel in the later stages of being terminally ill. By the time people get to the point they want to die they can’t facilitate the means to do so. Thats why we need things like dignitas in the Uk. I’ve nursed both my Gran and Mum through terminal bowel cancer and it’s very difficult to make the call as to when they would have been able to go if they could have (and they both wanted to).

I have read so many ignorant comments online about this. So many saying well she didn’t really want to do it then. People have no idea.

Terminally ill people should be allowed to choose the time and place of their death, not have to leave their loved ones and die alone in a foreign country when they still feel well enough to live.

I hope enough MPs have the guts to vote for the bill.

This was the same issue my MIL had. She was keen to go to Dignitas when she received her diagnosis but had to decide between going when she was still relatively healthy and missing out on months of life, or not going at all. It’s not a question of having someone to help you- in the late stage of terminal cancer you cannot travel.

I have mixed feelings about assisted dying but those who say “just go to Switzerland” don’t understand the practical issues.

It makes perfect sense to me 🤔

This.

I never understand why the concept of choosing how you want to die when you know you are terminally ill and you no longer want to suffer is such an issue for some people.

To me it is just cruelty to want to keep people alive at all cost and against their wishes.

It's really hard to get the timing right I think.

My BIL's father died of ALS, because he lived in the Netherlands assisted dying was always an option. He ended up dying naturally of pneumonia between the time he decided he had had enough and the appointment with the doctor two days later.

I am quite surprised she hasn't planned for this, it's unfortunate.

Awful to say but I hope she takes a turn for the better in order to be able to travel.

I fully support people's right to end their life but also see how legislation could be troubling and misused and on the whole am pleased we don't have it.

Suggest you read it again then. Why, if assisted dying were legal in the UK, would someone face criminal charges on their return here for helping a dying person travel to Dignitas?

Or are you just being obtuse?

It’s something I see increasingly often on here now. Posts missing part of a word (usually “…n’t”) which completely changes the meaning of what the poster intended to say. Of course we can infer their meaning, I just wish people would check their posts before submitting them.

Anyway, in answer to the original post, I too really hope the bill makes it through this time. My mum died of cancer and she had had enough weeks before she actually died. It was heartbreaking to witness and I think everyone should have the right to choose when they die.

I think you haven't experienced this sort of illness. She didn't want to miss out on any of her life, when life was actually worth living. She was ill, but not so ill that she didn't get any enjoyment. She has now reached the point where she doesn't want to continue living and life is becoming unbearable. But she is now so ill that she cannot make the journey.

Our friend ended their life in Switzerland accompanied by their adult children and spouse. No questions were asked by any of the authorities to my knowledge.

It’s a travesty that we don’t have access to AD here. I really hope the bill is passed. I don’t think many people will actually use it but having the comfort of knowing you can stay “stop” when you’ve had enough would be great for peace of mind.

Edited to correct - as many have pointed out, this should say ILLEGAL in the UK.

Poor woman. I think that anyone who opposes this bill would change their mind if they had to watch a loved one die in agony and without dignity. It is most horrifying to watch and I hope I and my family are spared that when my time comes.

Amazingly brave woman, I hope all her efforts lead to something better for all who want it.