In Need Of Assistance?

Should assisted death be legal in the UK? Alice Cooke looks at whether terminally ill people should have the choice

- Alice Cooke

IT’S a topic that has long divided opinion – should the thousands of terminally ill people who travel abroad to end their life be able to do it at home, here in Hampshire, and across the UK?

A recent report from campaign group Dignity in Dying suggested there are many who would like to go abroad but cannot afford, meaning they often face “painful and traumatic deaths at home”. It said the UK was “outsourcing” death to Dignitas, an assisted dying organisation in Switzerland, because assisted dying is illegal in the UK.

It claimed over half of British people would consider travelling abroad for an assisted death, but only a quarter could afford the cost – which averages around £10,000. Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said the study exposes “the unacceptable reality” that is faced by so many dying people in this country and that those that can’t obtain an assisted death overseas can end up taking drastic measures to end their own lives: “This is not how a civilised country should treat its dying citizens.”