Terminally ill ex-head teacher who fought for right to die ends his life at Dignitas

Campaigner to legalise assisted dying, Richard Selley, has sent a final message to Scottish Members of Parliament on the day he is due to die at Dignitas.

Mr Selley, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in March 2015, revealed in his final video that four years on, he is now unable to walk, talk or swallow.

The 65-year-old from Perth, wants MSPs to support an Assisted Dying Bill so other terminally ill people will have the option of dying at home rather than having to fly to Switzerland.

He said: “I hope that Members of the Scottish Parliament support an Assisted Dying Bill in the future. I think the momentum for a change in the law is growing. It will be too late for me, but I hope that sometime soon people in my position will have the choice to have a peaceful death at a time of their choosing.”

'I don't wish to suffer for much longer'

“Since my diagnosis with MND four years ago, I have lost the ability to walk, talk and swallow. I have also lost most of the power in my arms. Despite these losses I have tried very hard to remain positive and my palliative care has been outstanding. However, as I enter the final stage of my journey, I don’t wish to suffer for much longer so I am seeking an assisted death with Dignitas.”

He added that he has had to pay £10,000 for assisted dying in Switzerland and said “despite what some people think, Dignitas do not let people simply fly to Zurich, knock on their door and ask to die. I have already had to compose letters, write a life story and obtain medical records that prove that I am terminally ill. This has been stressful, particularly as my GP was advised to refuse my request for an up-to-date medical report.”

Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said it is “imperative” for Parliamentarians to act, saying “Richard and his wife Elaine have shown immense bravery and dignity in sharing their story and speaking out about the injustice they have both suffered under the UK’s outdated, broken law in their final weeks together”.

She added: “As Richard points out in his final message, he has received outstanding palliative care. But it is simply not enough to guarantee him the swift, peaceful and dignified death he wants. Richard is not alone - this week we published research which finds that even with universal access to the best hospice care, 17 Brits every day would still die with absolutely no relief of their pain. Surely those people whose suffering is beyond the reach of palliative care deserve another option?”

Ms Wootton also urged Westminster to take forward the former Justice Secretary David Gauke’s commitment to launch an inquiry into the blanket ban on assisted dying.

Canada legalised medical aid in dying (MAID) in June 2016 and New Zealand is currently considering an End of Life Choice Bill, which passed its Second Reading in June 2019.