Demise of assisted dying bill 'relives' trauma, says North Yorkshire woman investigated over husband's Dignitas death
Louise Shackleton was investigated by North Yorkshire Police after her husband Anthony died at Dignitas in Switzerland 18 months ago, after suffering from debilitating motor neurone disease.
A North Yorkshire woman, who was investigated by police after accompanying her terminally-ill husband to Dignitas, has said the collapse of the assisted dying bill has made her “relive” that trauma.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill fell yesterday in the House of Lords, as the amount of amendments put forward meant it ran out of time.
The legislation, which would have allowed people with less than six months to live to seek an assisted death with the approval of two doctors and an expert panel, was previously passed by MPs at second reading.
Louise Shackleton, whose husband Anthony died at Dignitas in Switzerland 18 months ago after suffering from debilitating motor neurone disease, has been a major supporter of the bill.
The 59-year-old was investigated by North Yorkshire Police over Anthony’s assisted death, however last October they dropped the case.
She told The Yorkshire Post: “For loving him enough to go with him, I was treated like a criminal. The system failed him, and it failed me.
“The outfall of that was horrific for my family, our boys who were so worried that I was going to go to prison.
“Days like today make me relive it. Other people are still going to continue to go to Switzerland.
“The wealthy are the only people who are afforded the choice now - the Lords have made sure of that.”
Speaking about the process, she added: “In the Commons, terminally-ill people’s voices were heard - my husband’s voice was heard.
“In the Lords, that changed and we were excluded from all of the debates, and committee stage.
“That gave them no idea how it feels or what it is like to have an assisted death.”