Dear friend,
When my husband Adrian was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2021, he was determined to take control of the end of his life.
Because of the ban on assisted dying in the UK, last year we made our final trip together to Switzerland, where he had an assisted death.
Adrian had a good death. But we shouldn’t have had to spend £12,000 for him to have a peaceful end hundreds of miles away from home. I - and the vast majority of British people - believe that assisted dying should be available to terminally ill people in the UK.
That’s why, today, I’ll be speaking to MPs at a parliamentary meeting alongside experts and legislators about why the UK urgently needs an assisted dying law. And I'm pleased that I'll be joined by veteran broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, whose brother is living with motor neurone disease and is advocating for choice.
Friend, events like these are so important in changing MPs’ minds. Speaking to us face to face, MPs can’t hide from people whose lives are affected by our cruel and outdated law.
But here’s the truth: we can’t run these vital events without the help of members. By chipping in a few pounds, members power Dignity in Dying’s vital work supporting dying people and their families to press MPs to back law change.
So Friend, will you become a member today and help turn our personal stories into rallying calls for law change?
Because I accompanied Adrian to have an assisted death, I broke the law - but I didn’t see it as an illegal act. I saw it as an act of great compassion, and it was done with love.
I don’t regret it for a second because Adrian’s death was just what he wanted - quick, pain free, loving, peaceful. He was absolutely calm. The comfort and peace of mind that assisted dying gives terminally ill people is completely priceless.
It’s an outrage that right now, some dying Brits still don’t have control over how they die, and their families are put through the anxiety of getting in trouble with the police just for helping their loved ones have the death they want.
Friend, this needs to change. Most people in Britain are backing choice for dying people - but we need to put unrelenting pressure on MPs to take action.
Will you become a Dignity in Dying member and give people like me the support to tell MPs our stories so we’ll open their eyes to the urgent need for an assisted dying law?
Thanks for listening to my story, Friend. We should all be able to choose to die like Adrian died but here at home, and I’ll keep campaigning in his memory until we have that choice. Thanks for standing with me in this fight.
Barbara Shooter
