Dame Esther salutes ‘historic’ proposals giving right to choose

Dame Esther Rantzen has hailed the “historic” assisted dying legislation that will be introduced at Holyrood today.

The veteran TV presenter, who has said she is considering travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, insisted those who are terminally ill should have the “right to choose”.

Dame Esther said: “I want to congratulate the Scottish Parliament for prioritising this debate so that they can carefully consider this crucial issue and scrutinise this historic bill.

“The current law is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people.

“I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonising deaths of those they loved.

“This is literally a life and death issue, and I believe terminally ill patients like me need and deserve the right to choose this option if our lives become intolerable.”

Former nurse Patricia Donoghue is among those who have spoken in favour of Mr McArthur’s Assisted Dying For Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

The 69-year-old, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after watching husband Kevan die eight years ago.

He was told he had a rare form of bile duct cancer 18 months previously, with the disease leaving him unable to eat or drink in his final three weeks.

Mrs Donoghue said her husband had been in constant pain.

She said: “He accepted death, but why did he have to suffer like that for three weeks?

“I know if assisted dying were an option, he would have wanted it.

“He would have said, ‘I’ve tried. I’ve had enough. I want to go’.

“We think of Britain as being advanced, but we are not. Leaving people to suffer in the final stages of their life is far from advanced – it’s cruel.

“I can’t change what happened to Kevan, but I want it to change for others in the future.”

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, described the legislation as an “important milestone towards terminally ill people in Scotland having the choice at the end of their lives that is so urgently needed”.

Mr McArthur’s bill would require two doctors – including one with no prior relationship with a patient – to confirm the person is terminally ill and also has the capacity to request an assisted death.

In addition, there would be a waiting period of two weeks before a patient could be given the required medication.

The bill debate comes a week after proposals for an assisted dying law in Jersey were published.

Dame Esther Rantzen has stage four lung cancer.