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Exclusive: Change law, says man who helped wife die
A HUSBAND who helped his bedridden wife to kill herself just days before their 40th wedding anniversary has spoken of his anguish and called for a system in Britain to help those in a similar position.
Margaret Bateman suffered in agony for years from a condition which baffled medical specialists and remained undiagnosed.
She spent the final three years of her life in pain, confined to bed and cared for by her devoted husband.
Her family carried out research on the internet into suicide techniques and on October 20 her husband Michael helped carry out her final wish using helium gas at their home in Birstall, near Bradford.
Yesterday an inquest was told Mrs Bateman, who was 62, began considering suicide a year ago but changed her mind.
On the day she decided to end her life, she sent her grown-up son out of the house and the couple made preparations. She then committed the final act.
Mr Bateman, a self-employed IT consultant, was arrested and questioned on suspicion of aiding and abetting the suicide and is currently on bail waiting for a decision from the Crown Prosecution Service on whether he should be charged.
After the brief inquest hearing, Mr Bateman spoke to the Yorkshire Post. Fighting back tears, he said the family had been placed in an "intolerable situation".
"We were married for a few days short of 40 years. She was a brave and courageous woman who lived in agony for many years. She was healthy once and worked as an assistant in a care home. I had to give up work to look after Margaret full-time."
Mr Bateman, 62, said he and his wife had considered several options, including travelling to the Swiss assisted suicide clinic Dignitas but "were prevented by circumstances".
"Margaret was going to starve herself to death but she was threatened with being taken into hospital and force-fed," he added.
Mr Bateman is happy he did the right thing: "What I did for Margaret was morally right and correct. It's what she wanted. It helped her out of her suffering. If society chooses to lock me up then society needs jolting around the issue of assisted suicide."
He told police that he did help his wife take her life but does not believe he will be charged.
The Department of Public Prosecutions has issued guidelines which suggest that if someone acts out of compassion for a loved one who is suffering they are unlikely to be prosecuted.
Mr Bateman wants to see facilities similar to Dignitas opened in the UK. "Dignitas fulfils the needs of many people; that sort of facility should be available everywhere," he said.
Mr Bateman, who was recently diagnosed with cancer of the spine, said: "What I did, logically, is no different to taking Margaret to Switzerland (Dignitas). I helped her to commit suicide. Nobody has been prosecuted for going to Switzerland."
Last night assisted suicide campaigner Debbie Purdy, from Bradford, said a framework was needed to allow people to die without help from relatives.
"I don't think we should make friends and family the ones that carry out the final act, it is a horrible situation. There isn't an easy answer, that's why we need an open and honest discussion."
A spokesman for Dignity in Dying said: "Ultimately we need a UK assisted dying law which allows the choice of assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults at the end of their lives."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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