The Right to Die; the Choice to Live

To confront life and death from a mountain summit or a war zone is heroic. We make all sorts of choices that might be life-threatening, yet choosing to die is still a big social taboo.

To many people, being able to die in dignity and minimise unbearable suffering is as important as life itself. In a highly publicised case last year, Dr Anne Turner, who had an incurable neurological illness, travelled to Switzerland and died with medical assistance because to do so in the UK is illegal. Anne’s son, Edward, will describe her brave decision to end her life before it became intolerable.

Dignity in Dying is campaigning for a change in the law to improve patient choice at the end of life. But deciding when and how to die if you have a terminal illness is different from wanting to commit suicide. The Samaritans will talk through the options that might help people choose to live. People’s personal decisions may also be influenced by their religious beliefs.

Advances in life-saving medicine and technology create increasingly difficult dilemmas. Some people want to preserve life at any cost, others don’t. Dr Richard Ashcroft will talk about complex medical decisions.

When is dicing with death heroic? Why do we find it so difficult to talk about dying? Why is there still a stigma attached to suicide? When is it better to live?

Event organised by: The European Dana Alliance for the Brain and Imperial College London

Speakers

Richard Ashcroft, Queen Mary, University of London
Terrence Collis, The Samaritans
Edward Turner, whose mother went to Switzerland for an assisted death
Ashley Riley, Dignity in Dying
Chairman:
Myc Riggulsford