Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
A UK woman has revealed she has 'no regrets' over accompanying her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland last December.
Louise Shackleton had travelled with her husband Anthony to Dignitas to die by assisted suicide after he'd been suffering from motor neurone disease for six years.
After returning home Louise surrendered herself to the police, but stated that she had 'no regrets' about taking him to the clinic.
Advert
"I have committed a crime, which I have admitted to, of assisting him by simply pushing him on to a plane and being with him," she said in an interview with Sky News.
"I don't regret for one moment. He was my husband and I loved him."
When approached by Sky about the case, North Yorkshire police responded with the following statement: "The investigation is ongoing. There is nothing further to add at this stage."
Under UK law, assisted dying is currently illegal, with anyone who assists in a suicide at risk of prosecution. However, this is rare.
The current laws around assisted dying could change in the future, with MPs currently debating a bill that was recently passed, which could give terminally ill people the right to end their life in England and Wales.
Louise went on to reveal that she and Anthony, who was 59 when he died, had spoken 'at length' as his condition progressed.
"We talked at length over two years about this," she explained.
"What he said to me on many occasions is 'look at my options, look at what my options are. I can either go there and I can die peacefully, with grace, without pain, without suffering or I could be laid in a bed not being able to move, not even being able to look at anything unless you move my head'.
"He didn't have options. What he wanted was nothing more than a good death."
According to the NHS, motor neurone disease is a progressive neurological disease which causes muscle weakness. There is currently no known cure for the condition.
Louise added that once she and Anthony arrived in Switzerland, he was able to relax 'physically and mentally'.
"We had the most wonderful four days," she said of Anthony, whom she'd known since the age of 18. "He was laughing. He was at total peace with his decision.
"And it was in those four days that I realised that he wanted the peaceful death more than he wanted to suffer and stay with me, which was hard, but that's how resolute he was in having this peace."
She also urged opponents of the assisted dying bill to 'respect other people’s decisions'.
"I think that we need to safeguard people," she explained. "I think that sometimes we need to suffer other people's choices, and when I mean suffer I mean we have to acknowledge that whilst we're not comfortable with those, that we need to respect other people, other people's wishes."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Health, UK News, Mental Health
Brenna Cooper