Assisted Death: A man traveling to Switzerland to end his life says his terminal illness has ‘failed’ under UK law | UK news

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A terminally ill man who plans to travel to Switzerland to end his life within weeks has accused lawmakers of failing people with assisted-death laws.

David Pace, from London, is no longer able to talk and swallow after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2019.

The 73-year-old is fed through a tube in his stomach and fears suffocation every day.

Pace, who communicates by texting to voice programs on his iPad, said he had no suicidal tendencies but was reluctantly forced to end his life prematurely so he could avoid “unbearable” suffering in the future.

Photo: The 73-year-old was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in 2019

Due to current laws in place, Mr. Pace needs to travel abroad before his illness has progressed to the point where he cannot manage the trip or administer the medication.

He hopes to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland within the next two months to end his life.

Mr Pace said: “Reluctantly, I am driven to render my death through relentless attacks on my body, with no hope for relief or cure, and no legal or dignified remedy in Britain other than the constant suffering with more and more pills, opiates and anesthesia , tubes in the throat and other interventions.

“If the law in the UK were different, my life would have been longer and the end of my life would not have involved the hassle and difficulty of international travel at the most vulnerable points of my life.”

Assisted death is currently illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum sentence of 14 years.

Image: Assisted dying is prohibited in England and Wales

But next week a private member’s bill, which would allow terminally ill adults to legally seek help to end their lives, will take place in Parliament.

The bill, if passed, would enable adults of sound mind with six months or less of life to receive end-of-life drugs with the approval of two doctors and a Supreme Court judge.

It comes as about 74% of the British public want Parliament to support the bill, according to a poll conducted by the charity Dignity in Death.

Separately, a YouGov survey of 1,733 adults earlier this month found that 70% would like to see vote-assisted death legalization next year.

Photo: Mr Pace, from London, is now receiving feeding through a tube into his stomach

Mr Pace said the legislation was needed to “correct the acute lack of choice and control” for people with incurable diseases, and would provide them with “real choice, not obligation, with appropriate safeguards to protect against duress or depression”.

The law change was “long overdue,” he said, adding: “So far our lawmakers have let us down.”

Baroness Mitcher, who introduced the bill, said she was “extremely optimistic” about its second reading, which would “change people’s lives” if passed.

Photo: Baroness Mitcher introduced the bill

She said the current situation is “unbelievably unsafe and causing unbelievable pain”, with some terminally ill people starving to death and “withering away”.

She said, “They shouldn’t have to go through this exhausting process, when they already have very limited mobility and so on, they travel all the way to Switzerland, they die in a foreign country, and then their relatives come back again. It’s all inhumane. .”

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Help death bill for discussion

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “Increasing evidence has shown that the UK’s blanket ban on assisted dying is not working, and this survey clearly shows that the public understands the issue of reform.

“The status quo does not provide sufficient choice or protection for our terminally ill citizens, puts loved ones in impossible situations, prevents healthcare professionals from providing all the end-of-life options their patients want, and forces police to spend time and resources on cases that are clearly motivated by clemency is rarely prosecuted.”

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