Britons should have dignity in death; FOR RITA CAMPAIGNS ASSISTED SUICIDE.Byline: DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. POWELL A WOMAN suffering from motor neurone disease The motor neurone diseases (or motor neuron diseases) (MND) are a group of progressive neurological disorders that destroy motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing. is calling for a change in the law to allow patients to commit assisted suicide assisted suicide: see euthanasia. in the UK. Rita Roberts-MacCutchan says she's considered becoming a "suicide tourist" and is asking for help to die in a clinic abroad if the pain became too much to bear. But the 62-year-old, from Colwyn Bay, is worried that anyone who helped her to fly out to the clinic run by "suicide tourism" group Dignitas in Switzerland could face prosecution. Helping someone to commit suicide is a criminal offence in the UK, carrying a maximum penalty of 14-years imprisonment Imprisonment See also Isolation. Alcatraz Island former federal maximum security penitentiary, near San Francisco; “escapeproof.” [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 218] Altmark, the German prison ship in World War II. [Br. Hist. . Record numbers of Britons suffering from terminal illnesses are queuing up for assisted suicide at the controversial Swiss clinic, according to a report last month. Almost 800 have taken the first step to taking their lives by becoming members of Dignitas, and 34 men and women who feel their suffering has become unbearable are ready to travel to Zurich and take a lethal overdose. Some of their relatives have later been questioned by police to find out if they had aided the suicide. But Rita says she doesn't want to cause problems for her loved ones, and she wouldn't fly out alone. She wants the government to reconsider making assisted suicide legal in the UK so patients like her can get help to die at home. Rita said: "If I had to go to a strange country I'd be cowardly and not go. "But if it was in this country, perhaps at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, then yes. I believe you should be able to die with dignity in your own country." She disagreed with concerns that a relaxation in the law would put vulnerable people at risk. She said: "Some critics say relatives would coerce old people into going to Switzerland to end their lives to benefit from their money. "That is absolute nonsense. You have to give proof yourself that you want to die. "It's also insulting to people who are suffering terribly and want to take this step." The Welsh Assembly said assisted suicides were a non-devolved issue dealt with by Westminster. A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "The Government believes that any change to the law in this area is an issue of individual conscience and is for Parliament to decide." The Motor Neurone Disease Association The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association) is a British charity established in 1979 by a group of volunteers to coordinate care, support, and research for people affected by motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease). says it neither supports or opposes any attempt to change the law on assisted suicide, but is campaigning for better end-of-life care. CAPTION(S): Rita Roberts-MacCutchan says that a law should be passed to make assisted suicide legal in the UK |
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