Author in call for tribunals to rule on suicides

The author, who has Alzheimer’s disease, will say that the “time is really coming” for assisted death to be legalised as he delivers the Richard Dimbleby Lecture today. He wants to see a tribunal set up where people who have incurable diseases can apply for assistance, and measures would be in place to make sure that they were of sound mind and not being influenced by anyone else. A legal expert in family affairs and a doctor who had dealt with serious, long-term illness would be part of the body. The best-selling author’s comments come days after Kay Gilderdale was acquitted of attempted murder after helping her daughter, who was paralysed by ME, to end her life. A poll for BBC Panorama revealed an even split as to whether loved ones of those with permanent but non-fatal illnesses should be allowed to help them die. Sir Terry will offer himself as a test case for the proposed “tribunal”, saying: “If I knew that I could die at any time I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds. If I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my choice.” He will say that many GPs would support the right to die and that turning to the medical profession to help was “sensible”. “I certainly do not expect or assume that every GP or hospital practitioner would be prepared to assist death by arrangement, even in the face of overwhelming medical evidence. That is their choice. Choice is very important in this matter. “But there will be some probably older, probably wiser, who will understand. It seems sensible to me that we should look to the medical profession that over the centuries has helped us to live longer and healthier lives, to help us die peacefully among our loved ones in our own home without a long stay in God’s waiting room.” The Panorama poll showed that 73 per cent of those questioned said friends or relatives should be allowed to help someone who is terminally ill to commit suicide. That fell to 48 per cent when the illness was incurable and painful, but not fatal – and 49 per cent said those involved should face prosecution. Today’s BBC1 programme includes an interview with Mrs Gilderdale, who gave her daughter additional drugs after she had taken a morphine overdose. She said she found Lynn injecting the opiate on December 3 2008 and brought more when asked. After that, Mrs Gilderdale worried that her unconscious daughter was suffering and so gave her crushed up pills through her feeding tube. She said: “I felt that Lynn was dying after the morphine overdose. She started to show signs of distress with her breathing. I was really worried that she was suffering in some way. I was trying to work out what I could give her to stop the distress, without causing her harm.” Mrs Gilderdale was cleared of attempted murder and given a 12-month conditional discharge for assisting a suicide last week. Campaigner Debbie Purdy, whose efforts led to new guidelines being brought out for prosecutors in assisted suicide cases, said: “This is the only law in the United Kingdom where carrying out an act is legal, but assisting in that act is illegal.” The programme shows Mrs Gilderdale agreeing that the law “doesn’t make sense” as it stands.