Esther Rantzen says she is too fragile to travel to Switzerland to end life
The broadcaster says her illness has left her too fragile to make the trip, as she urges MPs to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults.
- On Thursday, Dame Esther Rantzen, 86, revealed she is "too physically fragile" to travel to Switzerland's Dignitas clinic, having missed her chance for an assisted death despite paying fees and completing paperwork.
- Postponing the trip proved critical when Rantzen was not experiencing unbearable pain at the time. She explained, "By the time life did become unbearable, I was too physically fragile to make the journey and go through the Dignitas process."
- MPs are set to debate the Terminally Ill Adults bill on Friday, with Rantzen urging lawmakers to change the law, which she described as "messy and cruel" and demanding they "change and change quickly."
- Opponents, including Paralympian Baroness Grey-Thompson, argue the proposed legislation lacks strong safeguards, warning that disabled and vulnerable people could be pressured to end their lives.
- Proponents have indicated they would try again if Friday's vote fails, signaling the push for legal reform will persist in future sessions, though such attempts will come too late for Rantzen.
15 Articles
15 Articles
GB News
PressNewsAgencyDame Esther Rantzen issues heartbreaking health update as she demands assisted dying law ‘change quickly’
Dame Esther Rantzen has issued a deeply personal appeal to MPs ahead of today's vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, revealing that her deteriorating health has made it impossible for her to reach the Swiss clinic Dignitas.The Childline founder, who has terminal cancer, disclosed in a statement to the Press Association that despite having "spent the money and made the plans," she is now "too physically fragile to make the journe…
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Esther Rantzen Says Assisted-Dying Ban Is 'Messy and Cruel' After Her 'Last Chance' Is Gone
Dame Esther Rantzen says terminal lung cancer has left her too physically fragile to travel to Dignitas, as MPs prepare to debate assisted dying legislation in England and Wales.
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