Dear Friend,
My Mum was a nurse for 40 years and had seen terrible suffering at the end of life. So when at just 67 years old she became terminally ill with vasculitis, she knew that she didn’t want that for herself. She wanted to die with dignity.
But assisted dying is illegal in the UK. So, she went to Dignitas alone. After a tear filled goodbye, I watched as my Mum walked towards the station to begin her journey. She turned to blow us kisses and wave, then raised her fist to the sky in a display of determination. That was the last time I ever saw her.
The law in this country meant that I couldn’t go with my Mum. She spent her life savings, and in agonising pain, travelled alone to protect her family from the risk of prosecution. I am so proud of the strength she showed, but I have to live with the regret of not being with her for her final days. It was wrong and that’s why I’m campaigning for change.
I was with Dame Prue Leith as she launched her open letter to party leaders asking for a national debate on assisted dying. Friend, if you haven’t already, will you sign Prue’s open letter?
I had the privilege of giving a speech at the letter launch event in parliament where I told my Mum’s story. I spoke to parliamentarians and journalists about how she could have died peacefully in her own home with her family around her if we had a compassionate assisted dying law in the UK. Everyone deserves that choice.
I wasn’t the only one. People from all over the country with stories like my Mum’s came to parliament to support Dignity in Dying. They met with their MPs and showed just how widespread the pain and injustice of the current ban is.
Your signature spreads that message further. Friend, sign Prue’s open letter and help us get to 150,000 signatures today to show politicians that this issue isn’t going away.
Thank you to everyone who has already signed. Your signature tells party leaders how important this issue is to so many of us across the UK and why they must change the law.
