Tony Nicklinson

[3littlefrogs]

That poor, poor man. And his poor family.

hack mum, I thought suicide was illegal? Assisting an able bodied person to commit suicide also is, I'm sure.

I'm another one who wishes the UK could find a law that works in this subject, though it must be tricky given the very few nations that allow it.

Suicide is legal but assisting a suicide is not, although the DPP has issued guidelines so that families who act out of mercy in accompanying a terminally ill person to Dignitas will not be prosecuted on their return -not entirely sure of the details but it was in response to the campaign by Debbie Purdey.

R.I.P :(

R.I.P so sad that it had to end this way & not the way he wanted

I am glad that his suffering is now over.I thought it was terrible that his wish was denied in the courts. R.I.P Tony ,and my thoughts go to his family at this very sad time.

RIP Tony Nicklinson. An exceptional man. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

"Do you think that vulnerable people in Switzerland & the Netherlands are unprotected and that there are actual cases of them being coerced into early deaths/suicides? If so, can you provide examples? If not, why not?"

Euthanasia caused 1.7% of all deaths in the Netherlands in 2005. About a quarter of these (0.4% of all deaths) were due to involuntary euthanasia.

New England Journal of Medicine article

Yes, vulnerable people are at risk.

I have every sympathy for Tony Nicklinson's plight but good palliative care is the answer, not euthanasia, or, in the case of the euphemistically named involuntary euthanasia, murder.