Assisted dying: man who travels to Switzerland to end his life says terminally ill patient has been “rejected” by UK law | UK News

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A terminally ill man who plans to travel to Switzerland to end his life in a few weeks has accused lawmakers of violating assisted dying laws.

David Peace, from London, can no longer speak 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 choking every day.

Mr Peace, who communicates via text message over voice software on his iPad, said he was not suicidal but was reluctantly forced to end his life prematurely in order to avoid “intolerable” suffering. in the future.

Image: The 73-year-old was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2019

Due to current laws, Mr. Peace must travel internationally before his illness progresses to the point that he cannot manage the trip or administer the medication.

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

Mr Peace said: “Reluctantly, I am driven to advance my death by the relentless attacks on my body, with no hope of relief or cure, and no legal or dignified remedy in Britain other than the continuing suffering with it. more and more pills, opiates and sedation, throat tubes and other procedures.

“If the law in the UK were different my life would be longer and my end of life would not bring the hassle and hardship of international travel at the most vulnerable time of my life.”

Aiding someone to kill themselves is illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Image: Assisted dying is prohibited in England and Wales

But next week, a private member’s bill that would allow terminally ill adults to legally seek help ending their life will pass second reading in parliament.

The bill, if passed, would allow sane adults with six months to live or less to receive life-ending medication with the approval of two doctors and a senior judge. Court.

This comes from the fact that around 74% of Britons want Parliament to support the bill, according to a poll for the charity Dignity in Dying.

Separately, a YouGov survey of 1,733 adults earlier this month showed that 70% want to see physician-assisted dying legalized by the next general election.

Image: Mr Peace, from London, is now receiving nutrition through a tube in his stomach

Mr Peace said the legislation is needed to “rectify the cruel lack of choice and control” for people with terminal illnesses, and that it will give them “real choice, not obligation, with guarantees. appropriate to protect against coercion or depression ”.

A change in the law is “long overdue,” he said, adding: “Our lawmakers have let us down so far.”

Baroness Meacher, who introduced the bill, said she felt “very optimistic” about its second reading, which “will transform people’s lives” if passed.

Image: Baroness Meacher introduced the bill

The current situation is “incredibly dangerous and causes incredible pain,” she said, with some terminally ill people starving and “wasting away.”

She said: “They shouldn’t have to go through an exhausting process, when they already have a very limited ability to move and so on, traveling to Switzerland, dying in a foreign country, and their relatives returning. then. theirs. The whole thing is just inhuman. “

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Bill on assisted dying will be debated

Sarah Wootton, Managing Director of Dignity in Dying, said: “A growing body of evidence has shown that the UK’s blanket ban on assisted dying is not working and this poll clearly shows the public understands the arguments for reform.

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

However, Dr Gordon Macdonald, Managing Director of Care Not Killing, said: “The more the public hears about assisted suicide and euthanasia, the less likely they are to support it as they recognize the dangers of removing protections. universal legal rights for terminally ill patients. and people with disabilities. “

He added: “It is disappointing at a time when we have seen widespread discrimination against the elderly and disabled that a small number of activists and some politicians continue to push for assisted suicide obscuring the wider debate on how how we care for the most vulnerable in society and how we improve access to palliative care.

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