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Earlier this week, a historic debate in Westminster seemed to indicate that an assisted dying law for the UK is now a question of when, not if, it will happen.
This marks a huge sea change in public opinion, which I believe is largely due to one woman: Dame Esther Rantzen.
What a phenomenon he still is when he reaches 80, announces that he has stage IV lung cancer, and makes it clear that he has no intention of suffering unbearably. He joined Dignitas and it is considered that he will travel to Switzerland to receive an assisted death.
There is no doubt that Esther’s candor about her own suffering and her uncanny ability to galvanize public opinion have sparked this week’s calm and thoughtful debate about the implications of changing the law.
Dame Esther’s energetic campaign to change UK law and legalize assisted dying in this country has moved the controversial issue forward in a way that was unimaginable just a few months ago. In a country that is traditionally squeamish about the topic, she has made it an important part of the conversation.
There is no doubt that Esther’s candor about her own suffering and her uncanny ability to galvanize public opinion have sparked this week’s quiet and thoughtful discussion about changing the law.
It is currently illegal for a doctor or close family member to help a suffering patient or family member die a calm and peaceful death, as is the case in so many other countries.
The debate was able to take place thanks to the fact that 200,000 people signed a government petition promoted by Esther. Of course, it was not a parliamentary debate in which MPs would be asked to vote on specific proposals to change the law, but it was clear that the views of MPs from all parties had shifted towards a kinder and safer law than the current general ban. .
Some had seen their own loved ones die in agony. Others had heard similar stories from their constituents. Some knew of constituents who had chosen to take their own lives through horrific and violent methods because they could no longer endure the suffering caused by their illness.
More than half of those who spoke in the debate, from political heavyweights such as David Davis to newer members such as Liberal Democrat Sarah Dyke, called for change. Caroline Lucas announced that the Greens have formally committed to reform of assisted dying in her manifesto.
The Prime Minister and the opposition leader now promise a full debate on assisted dying with a free vote in the next Parliament as proposals progress in Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man. It now appears there will be no need to debate whether reform is needed, but how to formulate a law that is safe and compassionate.
I started campaigning for a change in the law almost 20 years ago, after witnessing the death of my own parents, writes Jenni Murray.
I started campaigning for a change in the law almost 20 years ago, after witnessing the death of my own parents. For a year I sat next to my bedridden mother as she suffered the pain and anguish of the last stage of Parkinson’s disease. She couldn’t move of her own will. She couldn’t eat because she couldn’t swallow anymore. She lost painful weight, but she never lost the sharpness of her brain nor the clarity of her speech.
Over and over I heard the same plea: ‘Jen, I can’t take it anymore. Please help me die.’ Every time she explained it to her I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do. It was illegal. They would accuse me of murder. However, she kept asking.
My father was heartbroken when she finally died, alone in the middle of the night with no one who loved her to hold her hand. Six months later she attempted suicide. It had been a week since she had been able to see him. When I finally got to his house, I found him lying in bed, unshaven, unwashed, hungry and dehydrated. He had not drunk or eaten anything and he told me that he wanted to die. A young family doctor responded to my call and together we convinced him to go to the hospital. There he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Nothing could be done.
I managed to find him a bed at the local hospice, where he received the best palliative care. He ate puddings, drank everything they offered him, but still he made it clear that death would be a welcome release. After two weeks, one of the doctors told me that she was starting to feel anxious at night. Would you approve of her increasing her medication? I agreed with whatever she thought was best. The next day she was sleeping when I arrived. She woke up briefly and said, “Honey, she couldn’t have done all this without you.” I love you.’ She died in my arms. I don’t know if the extra medication contributed to her passing, but she left me calmly and peacefully.
He died in 2006. No one wanted to talk to me about changing the law to allow assisted dying then. When I argued that it should be the choice of the person who suffered and died, they accused me of being pagan and told me that only God could control how and when a patient died. I fear that the religious fervents have managed to block any change for too long. Religious people have every right to make their own decisions in this regard, but they should not be allowed to impose their beliefs on those who do not share them.
I also find that many people recoil at the mere mention of the words death or dying. Others would imagine cruel and greedy children pressuring their elderly relatives in the hope of receiving an inheritance, or would worry that this would cause the elderly to decide to leave because they felt a burden or that cash-strapped governments might see it as a way to ease the burden. of care for the elderly.
My argument – and I believe Esther Rantzen’s – is that those who suffer pain and terrible anguish should have the freedom to choose whether they want help in dying. And finally, it seems that that feeling can be shared not only by Esther and me.
Dazzling Nicole the great survivor
Nicole Kidman hasn’t always had it easy. Her marriage to Tom Cruise did not end well and she is said to be distant from the two children she adopted. So it was fantastic to see this wonderful actress receive one of the highest honors possible in Hollywood: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. And she was surrounded by the happy family she shares with her husband Keith Urban. She is also one of the best celebrities I interviewed. Not spoiled at all.
Kidman, pictured with her husband Keith Urban, is one of the nicest celebrities Jenni has interviewed.
They always say prevention is better than cure, but who would have thought that one of the poorest cities in the country would have applied that saying to potholes, saving a fortune and protecting many cars in the process. In the early days, Blackpool spent a fortune on compensation claims and plugging individual potholes. Then they planned ahead. They borrowed money to rebuild 40 miles of roads and 80 miles of footpaths, projecting savings of £100 million over 25 years. No bumps! I wish their planners would come this way.
Why are there still women in the men’s rooms?
The practice of placing men and women together on mixed wards was banned in the NHS in 2012, as it should be. Privacy, security and dignity are vital. But according to the latest figures, the NHS has failed us. Last year, patients were placed in mixed wards a staggering 43,700 times. Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, will have her work cut out trying to deliver on the latest promise that the NHS must listen to patients. Here’s what patients say: Stonewall’s style is not ours. What we want are single-sex barriers and that is biological sex, not gender. Go away, Victoria, find the beds, find the staff, and keep us safe, private, and dignified. Good luck for you.
Germans love Fawlty Towers!
Is there any old comedy show that doesn’t have a trigger warning? Sexist language, racist attitudes and, famously, when it came to Fawlty Towers, “Don’t mention the war.” At the restaurant, Basil accuses one of the German guests of having no sense of humor. But Miguel Berger, Germany’s current ambassador to the UK, now says his compatriots love the show. It’s us who lack humor!
Nothing bothered me as much last week as seeing two terrified horses running through London. They are trained to deal with traffic noise and crowds, but not with thoughtless builders who drop concrete from a great height. My grandfather rode those horses when he spent his National Service in the cavalry in London. He loved them and it would have broken his heart to see them in such danger. I was told that the black horse, Quaker, and the gray horse, Vida, are still in the care of the veterinarians. Quaker is said to be expected to make a full recovery. Life is still under close observation. I hope those careless builders, if they were the cause, are ashamed.
When you get up in the morning, you open the back garden gate, the dogs stay away, waiting for rain. No! Clear blue skies and blazing sun. They leave full of the joys of spring. Coffee on the garden table. Warm and bright. Life is suddenly filled with hope.
