britishwargraves.co.uk
An influential group of peers would like to change the law, to make it legal for relatives and friends to accompany someone who wants to commit suicide abroad.
And it seems that record numbers of Britons are waiting to use the services of Dignitas, the controversial, Zurich-based organisation that runs a clinic where people are assisted to kill themselves.
To many the proposed law-change might seem sensible and humane, but it could also be seen as an exercise in half-measures; a classic British fudge, consisting of hypocrisy and sentimentality in equal measure. It would allow Britons to salve their consciences by exporting the problem overseas.
The law in this area is already caked in fudge: although the CPS acknowledges that prosecutions are unlikely, it has refused to publish a formal policy to that effect, leaving carers and family members to face at least the theoretical prospect of 14 years in jail. One woman, Debbie Purdy, has challenged this refusal, and the House of Lords is expected to announce its decision in her case any day now.
In its dealings with the terminally ill, the law is not honest. If killing oneself is wrong, we shouldn’t allow anyone to do it, even in Switzerland; but if we believe otherwise, we should say so explicitly and shape our laws accordingly. Half-measures, no matter how well intentioned, simply won’t do.
