In 2023 Dignitas carried out 250 Assisted Voluntary Deaths (AVDs), of which 40 (16%) were for people who had travelled from the UK. The previous year Dignitas had done 206 AVDs, of which 33 had been from the UK. Pegasos do not release their figures but this website estimates that they take about 280 patients… Continue reading How many will still go to Switzerland ?
More people than ever are trying to buy poisons on the internet. Frequently these are for “self-deliverance” – suicide in other words. In every single case, we believe, the buyers are falling victim to criminal gangs. Any money paid will be lost irretrievably. Philip Nitschke has published a list of the worst offenders. In total… Continue reading Nembutal scams
Under Section 3 of this website – “The Law “ – we have covered the 2019 case of Ninian vs Findlay & others. The case concerned the application of the “Forfeiture Rule” under which no one who has assisted the death of another person can inherit anything from their estate. The Court had ruled that,… Continue reading Forfeiture Rule decision
In the case of Ninian vs Findlay in 2019, the Court ruled that Sarah Ninian could indeed inherit her husband’s £1.8 million estate, even though she had planned their visit to Dignitas and had accompanied him on their trip. This meant that the Court had used its discretion and decided that the “Forfeiture Rule” should… Continue reading Probate delays
The decision by Kim Leadbeater MP to choose Assisted Dying as the subject for her Private Member’s Bill is good news. She came top of the recent MPs’ ballot and her Bill is therefore assured of such Parliamentary time as it may need. It will now also receive priority over the other two Bills currently… Continue reading The Leadbeater Bill
At the recent Dublin international conference on Assisted Dying, it was notable that Professor Jocelyn Downie from Canada interrupted her presentation in order to refute some of the “slippery slope” myths that have sprung up around her country’s adoption of Medical Assistance in Dying. Access to MAID is limited to people of 18 years and… Continue reading Canada – refuting the myths
The BBC is reporting that the Sarco suicide pod has now been used for the first time. Unsurprisingly, arrests have been made. Although its use has been planned well in advance, the actual occasion seems to have come as a bit of a shock. At a press conference earlier this month, Fiona Stewart of The… Continue reading Sarco used in Switzerland
“I also intend to advocate in Parliament for increased investment into palliative and end of life care ….”. If that sentence sounds familiar, it is because it is usually included in letters from Labour MPs who want to sound friendly but also want to remain non-committal in respect of the forthcoming Bills on Assisted Dying. … Continue reading Palliative Care – MPs’ letters
It will have seemed ironic to many members of Dignity in Dying that the booklet encouraging them to support Lord Falconer’s Bill should have landed on their doormats on the same day as another Bill had emanated from the Private Members’ ballot in the House of Commons. The latter has a much greater chance of… Continue reading Dignity in Dying – facing a choice
The results are now in for the ballot for Private Members’ Bills in the House of Commons. They are not quite as encouraging as might have been hoped. One MP, Jake Richards (Labour, Rother Valley), was first off the starting blocks with his announcement that he would indeed be introducing a Bill to legalise Assisted… Continue reading The ballot for Private Members’ Bills
