English Opinion

A TV show will be aired on the Sky Real Lives channel tonight that promises to be deeply controversial. Some applaud its broadcast whilst others have branded it a publicity stunt. I fall into the former category. The show will screen the death of a former professor, Craig Ewert. Mr Ewert, aged 59 at the time of his death, chose to end his own life by travelling to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland for an assisted suicide.

The Swiss clinic operates within the laws of the country and has helped many people to die. However, before I go any further I would like to point out that Dignitas has a strict policy and will not help anyone that has not made his or her own decision. There are numerous tests and counselling sessions before an assisted suicide is performed to ensure that the individual in question is absolutely certain that he or she wants to die.

Craig Ewert lived in North Yorkshire and enjoyed a full life. He had a wife and children. He had also been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, which effectively rendered him a prisoner in his own body. Not only did he decide that he had no quality of life and did not want to die a horible and painful death but he also decided that he wanted to depart this life on his own terms. His  intention was to educate people about assisted suicide, which is why he chose to consent to his death being filmed before he took a cocktail of drugs.

I understand that people have very strong views on assisted suicide and I am one of those people. I also understand that people will disagree with me and I do not intend to change anyone’s views. What I want to say probably goes against religion and social values but, from personal experience, I know I would prefer to take my own life than die a death that is absolutely horrific. I worked in a nursing home for several years and cared for several people that had Huntingdon’s Disease. I also cared for someone with Motor Neurone Disease and several people with Multiple Sclerosis. I saw how they suffered. Many of them lost the use of their bodies whilst the mind was still active. They could not control their bodily functions and were in horrific pain every waking moment. One had tried to commit suicide several times whilst he was still able but failed because he did not have the Dignitas option of assisted suicide open to him. They all lost their dignity, their self respect and their pride bit by bit.

I watched a woman speak of pallative care on the news today and, whilst care is possible to ensure people can live their lives to a certain extent, that does not apply to everyone. These horrible diseases are not akin to strokes, arthritis and heart attacks. They degrade and diminsh. They eventually take everything from you. If someone wants to live until they die naturally through a disease then that is their right but if they want to have the choice about when and where they die so that they do not suffer then that is also their choice and I do not believe that anyone has the right to take that away.

Of course there will be abuses of any laws allowing assisted suicide but if the process someone has to go through to die is so rigorous then those cases would be weeded out. Dignitas has managed that so the argument against assisted suicide as a result of that is redundant. Not everyone has to believe in it, but we all have freedom and should be able to exercise our right to that if we want to die. Take Daniel James, for example. The 23 year old from Nuneaton visited Dignitas for an assisted suicide after he was paralysed from the chest down. He felt he had no qualty of life and his parents could not pursuade him otherwise. They will not face charges over it because it is “not in the public interest”. They helped him go to the clinic out of love and put aside their own selfishes wishes that he would change his mind. Of course they did not want their son to die but it was his choice.

I just hope that the TV programme tonight encourages people to open their minds a little and put theirselves in the place of Craig Ewert. Others like him may want to live until the bitter end, and good for them if they do, but he did not. It was his life and his choice to end it. Whilst nobody should be made to end their lives, if someone wants to through disease and severe disability then we should respect their decision and applaud their bravery rather than turning them into the bad guy.

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