Final plea over assisted dying

Terminally ill Perth man’s video appeal to Scottish Parliament

Terminally-ill Perth man Richard Selley has issued a final plea to legalise assisted dying, on the day he is due to die at Dignitas.

In a video released today, the retired teacher urges MSPs to change the law to allow people to die on their own terms at home rather than endure the suffering he has experienced.

The 65-year-old, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2015, travelled to the Swiss clinic Dignitas with wife Elaine earlier this week, saying he did not want to suffer any longer.

He expressed hope that people in his position would soon have the option to have a peaceful death at a time of their choosing.

“I hope that members of the Scottish Parliament support an assisted dying bill in the future,” he said.

A terminally-ill man has issued a final plea to parliamentarians to legalise assisted dying, on the day he is due to die at a Swiss clinic.

In a video released today, Richard Selley from Perth called on MSPs to support an assisted dying bill to allow other terminally-ill people to have the option to end their lives at home on their own terms.

The 65-year-old retired teacher, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2015, travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich with wife Elaine this week, saying he did not want to suffer any longer.

In his last video, released by Dignity in Dying Scotland, Richard said he was entering the final stage of his journey.

“I hope that members of the Scottish Parliament support an assisted dying bill in the future,” he said.

“I think the momentum for a change in the law is growing.

“It will be too late for me but I hope that sometime soon people in my position will have the choice to have a peaceful death at a time of their choosing.”

Richard also spoke of his reasons for seeking an assisted death overseas and the personal and financial cost he has borne as a result.

“Since my diagnosis with MND four years ago, I have lost the ability to walk, talk and swallow,” he said.

“I have also lost most of the power in my arms.

“Despite these losses I have tried very hard to remain positive and my palliative care has been outstanding.

“However, as I enter the final stage of my journey, I don’t wish to suffer for much longer so I am seeking an assisted death with Dignitas.”

Richard said having assisted dying available in Switzerland was welcome but it was costing him around £10,000 to take his own life.

“I am fortunate that I can afford this, but most people cannot,” he said.

“Having to be able to fly means that I am choosing to die earlier than I would prefer.

“If an assisted death was possible in Scotland, I would be able to die at a time of my choosing at home.”

Ally Thomson, director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, said Richard and Elaine had shown “immense bravery and dignity” in sharing their story in their final weeks together and claimed Scotland’s law on assisted dying was outdated and broken.

“The outpouring of support they have received from members of the public and parliamentarians has been overwhelming but not surprising,” he said.

Richard Selley was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2015.

Picture: Steve MacDougall. Richard Selley was diagnosed with MND in 2015.