Esther Rantzen says she is too fragile to reach Dignitas clinic

Dame Esther Rantzen, the 86-year-old broadcaster and Childline founder who is terminally ill with cancer, said on Thursday she is now too physically fragile to travel to Switzerland to end her life at an assisted suicide clinic, and urged MPs to vote in favour of legalising assisted dying in England and Wales.

Why can’t Esther Rantzen travel to Switzerland?

Dame Esther Rantzen said she would have had to make the flight to Switzerland alone, which she said she could only have done before her life became “unbearable” and before she was ready to end her life. She said: “Unfortunately, when I was strong enough to make the flight and go to Dignitas, my life was not unbearably painful, indeed I was able to relax in my beloved cottage in the New Forest.”

She continued: “And by the time life did become unbearable, I was too physically fragile to make the journey and go through the Dignitas process.” She added that although she had “spent the money and made the plans”, she was not ready to end her life at that point and “did not realise that would be my last chance”.

Dame Esther Rantzen announced in December 2023 that she had joined the Dignitas clinic, about a year after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. She said “everything I didn’t want to happen I’m having to go through now”, with loved ones either unable to visit her or seeing her “suffering pain or indignity”. She described the current law as “messy and cruel” and said it must “change and change quickly”.

What happens at the parliamentary vote?

MPs are considering a draft law that would make assisted dying legal in England and Wales under specific circumstances for people who are terminally ill with less than six months to live. A second vote is due to be held in the House of Commons on Friday afternoon, after the legislation was first introduced in 2024 and the previous session of Parliament ran out of time before it was passed.

The bill was reintroduced in this Parliament and has been through several drafts. It has been scrutinised by several parliamentary committees and by the House of Lords, which submitted 1,200 amendments. If it passes the House of Commons, rarely invoked powers could be used, meaning it would not need the assent of the Lords to become law this time. Proponents of the bill have indicated they would try to bring legislation again as soon as possible if it were voted down on Friday.

Who opposes the bill and why?

Helping someone end their life is currently considered a criminal offence across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Jersey legalised assisted dying for terminally ill adults earlier this year. Campaigners against the bill include Paralympian Baroness Grey-Thompson; they fear that a change in the law could mean disabled and other vulnerable people could be pressured to end their lives, and they criticise the wording of the proposed legislation as not providing strong enough safeguards.

What has the prime minister said?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would not be voting on the issue and has suggested that palliative and social care should be better funded before legalising assisted suicide is considered. Assisted dying is legal in a number of countries, including Canada, Australia, Belgium and Switzerland, though the circumstances under which it is legal differ between those nations.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t Esther Rantzen travel to Switzerland to use Dignitas?

Dame Esther Rantzen, 86, says she is now too physically fragile to make the journey alone, having been well enough only before her life became unbearable and before she felt ready to end her life.

When will MPs vote on the assisted dying bill?

A second vote on the draft law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for people with less than six months to live is due in the House of Commons on Friday afternoon.

Is assisted dying legal in the UK?

Helping someone end their life is currently a criminal offence across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Jersey legalised assisted dying for terminally ill adults earlier this year.

Who opposes the assisted dying bill?

Campaigners including Paralympian Baroness Grey-Thompson oppose it, arguing that disabled and other vulnerable people could be pressured to end their lives and that the proposed legislation lacks strong enough safeguards.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. London, Palace of Westminster — 2016 — 4800 — Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)