There are two things in life you can be certain of – everyone must pay their taxes, and eventually we all will die. For many, it’s a question of when their final day will come. Others have taken the matter into their own hands. Or, more correctly, put it into the hands of others.
Swansea siblings Tara O’Reilly and Rose Baker are under investigation for their involvement in their mother’s death in July of this year. Each knew Jackie Baker’s time had come, and were there at her final moment. This is not a murder investigation, however; Jackie travelled to Switzerland together with her daughters so she could attend her appointment in Zurich’s Dignitas. She had suffered from motor neurone disease, and ended her life on 4 November. She was 59.
“A majority were against change in legislation in 2006, which turned into a majority for change in 2014.”
The incident has sparked debate about the legality of euthanasia, and whether laws should be relaxed to take the lives of those suffering from terminal and debilitating illnesses into account. At present, euthanasia or assisted suicide is illegal across the UK, says Leon Griffith of the Welsh Government Press Office. “Those found to have any involvement in the matter can face a prison term of up to 14 years,” he says. In some cases, however, euthanasia can be seen as murder or manslaughter, and may be served with a life sentence.
Euthanasia may be illegal in the UK, but it hasn’t stopped people travelling to Switzerland, where it is legal, to end their own lives. Thousands of people have come to Dignitas since it was founded in 1998. Between 1998 and 2014, 274 Britons ended their lives there.
Fictional story of two people
On 24 September, British author JoJo Moyes released After You, the sequel to the acclaimed Me Before You. Euthanasia and its consequences was a subject JoJo researched before her first draft, aiming to create “Not a political manifesto, just a fictional story of two people.”
“I knew a little about euthanasia before I wrote the first book,” JoJo says. “But it was inspired by a case a few years ago of someone persuaded his parents to take him to Dignitas after he was left quadriplegic.” This was the plight of Tony Nicklinson, left paralysed following a stroke in 2005. Tony spent the remainder of his life fighting to be allowed end it.
But has the book’s release led to a rise in people looking for support at the end of their lives? Thomas Davies of Dying in Dignity, an organisation providing support to those interested in euthanasia, doesn’t think so. He does, however, recall one moment where popular culture led to an increase in interest in their work.
“I don’t remember those novels being referenced in any calls,” Thomas recalls. “On Coronation Street, there was a storyline last January which gave us a lot of attention, though.”
The storyline in question involved Hayley, who ended her own life following a cancer diagnosis in scenes aired in January 2014. At the time, Julie Hesmondhalgh, who portrayed Hayley, told the Metro the story did not focus on the right to die campaign, but still she could not have anticipated the reaction from the public.
Watch Hayley’s final scenes below.
Thomas has noticed it before. He said, “There are massive fluctuations of calls we get to Dignity in Dying when there’s stories in the media. It happens when someone has gone to Dignitas, for instance, or whether it’s someone talking about their wishes respected under current law.”
The debate comes following the dismissal of an Assisted Suicide Bill by the Houses of Parliament in September. “I think it was an issue with timing and a lack of information,” Thomas explained. “In a perfect world, we have a year or two to prepare information for the new House of Commons so they understand our arguments.” He said a majority were against change in legislation in 2006, which turned into a majority for change in 2014.
Our survey says
This dismissal of the bill in Parliament contrasts the opinion of many members of the disabled community. The vast majority of those asked were eager for change. Earlier this year, in the largest poll on assisted suicide ever carried out, Populus found 82% of their 5,000 respondents were in favour of giving terminally ill people the right to end their lives, with 86% of those with a disability agreeing. Just one in ten would think negatively of an MP who supported assisted dying. Of the 254 respondents from Wales, 82% supported assisted dying.
The legality of the issue caused some repercussions when the Baker sisters attempted to raise funds to travel with their mother. A girl’s night out event, to be held in Swansea in summer 2015, was set up to raise the £8,000 needed to grant Jackie’s final wishes. The sisters were forced to cancel the event when advised by police holding it could result in prosecution for their apparent attempt to encourage assisted suicide.
Rose and Tara brought their mother to Switzerland to offer her comfort at the end of her life, and Jackie listened to Bob Marley as she administered the deadly drug. Both sisters proclaimed it the hardest thing they had ever done. Perhaps the toughest decision you can make is to put your life in another’s hands. Whatever the case, it appears the public is looking for change in the legislation regarding euthanasia in the future.