I accompanied my wife to Dignitas. The Lords' filibustering is an insult to all like her who have suffered | Dave Sowry
Christy faced months of bureaucratic trauma. For terminally ill people, the assisted dying bill must not create further obstacles
Three years ago, I sat in a hotel in Zurich, awaiting my flight home, wondering how I was going to get through the next few weeks and months. Having been with my wife, Christy, at Dignitas the day before, I was hoping I would avoid prosecution. That day had been the most profound day of my life, full of great sadness, but also great love, and a sense of peace that Christy had been able to die as she wished, without going through the inevitable pain and difficulty that she dreaded. A month earlier, she had written in her diary: “I don’t feel particularly frightened of the death itself. I am frightened about having to let go of life. I feel I have lived life to the absolute full … But … I’m not prepared to go on living this painful and difficult life as it continues to worsen.”
Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s an easy process to go to Dignitas. It is not. Christy had six months of covert bureaucracy and constant stress that someone might find out and stop her from going, as well as anxiety about the legal jeopardy I would face.
Dave Sowry is a retired systems analyst and a board member of the campaign group My Death, My Decision
