- 1,900 British members registered in 2023, an increase of 372 on the previous year
- The United Kingdom is second behind Germany in the number of registered citizens
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Dignitas’ UK membership soared 24 per cent last year, as assisted dying legislation approached in Scotland yesterday.
According to the figures, there were 1,900 British members registered in 2023, an increase of 372 on the previous year.
Also last year, 40 UK residents traveled to its clinic in Switzerland to die, Dignitas revealed.
The UK is second behind Germany in both the number of citizens registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip.
In total, 1,454 people traveled from Germany, 571 from the United Kingdom and 549 from France.
The UK is second behind Germany in both the number of citizens registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip to the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic (pictured).
The figures span from 1998 to 2023. However, fewer Germans have chosen to die in Dignitas, falling to single digits in recent years.
But the number of travelers from the United Kingdom has increased, as has that from France, where last year 50 citizens made the trip to receive an assisted death. It comes as legislation seeking to start the process for Scotland to become the first UK nation to legalize assisted dying was published in Holyrood.
Liberal Democrat MP Liam McArthur introduced the bill, which is likely to be voted on by MPs later this year; It came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals.
A vote would be the third time the issue of assisted dying has been raised before the Scottish parliament; Two previous attempts to change the law have been soundly defeated.
The bill sets out the conditions under which assisted dying would be legalized in a bid to provide “robust safeguards.”
According to the legislation, only those over 16 years of age with an advanced terminal illness would have the option of an assisted death.
They would need to have the mental capacity to make the request and the bill sets out a mandatory 14-day “cooling off” period. The patient would also be required to administer the life-ending treatment himself.
Those eligible will also need to have resided in Scotland for at least 12 months and be registered with a doctor’s practice.
Mr McArthur said: “Assisted dying is currently illegal in Scotland, a situation which I believe is failing too many Scots with terminal illnesses at the end of life.”
‘It is leaving them to face traumatic deaths that affect not only them, but also those they leave behind. We can and must do better.
“The provisions… would be firmly safeguarded to ensure the process works as intended.”
Liberal Democrat MP Liam McArthur introduced the bill which is likely to be voted on by MPs later this year; It came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals.
The bill has been praised by campaigners, led by Dame Esther Rantzen, who is a member of Dignitas and has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
“The current law is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people,” he said.
‘I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonizing deaths of their loved ones. “This is literally a matter of life and death.”
But the Bishop of Paisley, John Keenan, said the bill “attacks human dignity” and introduces the dangerous idea that a citizen can lose his worth and value.
“Assisted suicide sends the message that there are situations in which suicide is an appropriate response to one’s individual circumstances, concerns and anxieties,” he said.